By Institute for Energy Research —— Bio and Archives February 24, 2012
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As part of the review, 16 researchers at UT Austin in a variety of fields including air quality and hydrology reviewed the scientific literature and regulatory documents for three major areas of fracking in Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania and New York. They could not find evidence of drilling fluids leaking deep underground, and methane in water wells in some areas is probably due to natural sources. The team did not see a need for new regulations specific to fracking, but for better enforcement of existing regulations of drilling in general--such as those covering well casing and disposal of wastewater from drilling.The UT study's findings are significant for the energy sector, because hydraulic fracturing is driving an oil and natural gas boom in the United States. For example, the rapid increase in oil production in North Dakota is a direct result of the use of hydraulic fracturing in underground shale formations. When the latest oil production numbers come in, they will likely show that North Dakota has surpassed California as the third largest oil producing state in the U.S.
"Shale gas has lots of stories to tell," Groat said. "It's a great resource for this country and many other parts of the world. It's a game-changer in terms of the energy balance. We think it can be regulated effectively and is being done so largely, but certainly there are evolving issues that need more serious attention paid to them."
The Institute for Energy Research (IER) is a not-for-profit organization that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets. IER maintains that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most efficient and effective solutions to today’s global energy and environmental challenges and, as such, are critical to the well-being of individuals and society.