Drinking

A new study of private water wells in rural Pennsylvania found 20% to be contaminated with methane before Marcellus operations began nearby, but also found increased bromide levels that could be the result of natural gas drilling.

The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) said it would deliver to Gov. Andrew Cuomo a petition calling on the state to protect drinking water from the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking). New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is due to complete work on a supplemental generic environmental impact statement on hydrofracking this summer (see Shale Daily, April 13). The NYPIRG, a student-run organization with chapters on 20 college campuses in the state, told the Associated Press its petition had been signed by more than 10,000 New Yorkers.

Residents of Dimock Township in Susquehanna County, PA, whose drinking water supplies were contaminated by natural gas, are to receive a share of $4.1 million that Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. agreed to pay under a settlement negotiated with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week issued an emergency order against Range Resources Corp. that claims at least two drinking water wells in Parker County, TX, “have been significantly impacted by…methane contamination” from its oil and gas production facilities in the region. Both the exploration and production (E&P) company and the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) objected.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an emergency order against Range Resources Corp. that claims at least two drinking water wells in Parker County, TX, “have been significantly impacted by…methane contamination” from its oil and gas production facilities in the region.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an emergency order against Range Resources Corp. that claims at least two drinking water wells in Parker County, TX, “have been significantly impacted by…methane contamination” from its oil and gas production facilities in the region.

Opponents of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracing) who worry that the practice will contaminate drinking water thousands of feet underground should be more focused on what goes on above ground at natural gas drilling sites. There is a greater threat to water and the environment on the surface if proper safety practices are not followed, according to a new study of hydrofracing and gas shale plays.

Opponents of hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracing) who worry that the practice will contaminate drinking water thousands of feet underground should be more focused on what goes on above ground at natural gas drilling sites. There is a greater threat to water and the environment on the surface if proper safety practices are not followed, according to a new study of hydrofracing and gas shale plays.