New water protection rules applying to oil and natural gas drilling in Wyoming took effect March 1, requiring operators to test existing water sources before and after drilling a well (see Daily GPI, Nov. 13, 2013). Adopted last November by the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC), the rules were part of an initiative by Gov. Matt Mead, one of three statewide elected officials on the WOGCC, and supported by the Environmental Defense Fund and Wyoming Outdoor Council. A spokesperson for the governor, Renny MacKay, told NGI last Tuesday that the new water testing requirements quietly became effective at a time when the state legislature has “quite a few bills related to energy pending, but none have hit governor’s desk yet.”