Aquifers

Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) has secured another victory for the 2 Bcf/d Permian Highway Pipeline (PHP) cutting across the Hill Country of Texas after a U.S. District Court last week denied a preliminary injunction filed by opponents.

California energy officials said on Wednesday that they have ordered 475 underground injection control (UIC) wells shut down by Feb. 15.

California oil/natural gas regulators last Wednesday outlined more details of the state underground injection control (UIC) program in a submittal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This marks the second of many milestones the state is committed to under a 24-month review of the UIC program (see Shale Daily,June 1).

A study led by researchers at the University of Colorado (UC) found that of the hundreds of compounds used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations, 15 are of particular concern if they ever become groundwater contaminants due to several factors, including toxicity.

Samples taken from drinking water sources within or near active natural gas wells in the Barnett Shale contain metals and chemical compounds at levels exceeding federal limits, according to a peer reviewed study that expands on findings made in 2013.

California oil/natural gas regulators on Thursday adopted interim rules for the state’s underground injection program. They are effective immediately while permanent rules are expected to begin a review process in May.

Extracting natural gas from shale formations using hydraulic fracturing (fracking) “has no direct connection” to groundwater contamination reports, based on a study of three big shale gas plays in the United States, the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) said in a new report.

Preliminary findings from a study being conducted by The University of Texas at Austin’s (UT) Energy Institute suggest no direct link between hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and groundwater contamination, researchers said Wednesday.

Members of a key advisory panel in New York that would someday govern hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the state say they won’t meet their Nov. 1 deadline because they need more time to gather critical information and budget requests from state agencies.