Water

A draft assessment of the potential impacts to drinking water from hydraulic fracturing (fracking), released Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the agency found no systemic impacts to date to drinking water, but there are “potential vulnerabilities.”

A draft assessment of the potential impacts on drinking water from hydraulic fracturing (fracking), released Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the agency has found no systemic impacts on drinking water, but it cautioned that there still are risks.

The Obama administration unveiled its long-awaited finalized Clean Water Rule (CWR) on Wednesday, extending regulatory protection to smaller upstream rivers and creeks, but doing so against the wishes of the oil and gas industry, manufacturers and their Republican allies in Congress.

The Obama administration unveiled its long-awaited finalized Clean Water Rule (CWR) on Wednesday, extending regulatory protection to smaller upstream rivers and creeks, but doing so against the wishes of the oil and gas industry, manufacturers and their Republican allies in Congress.

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a $35.4 billion spending bill for water and energy on Thursday, after Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) introduced — but then withdrew, at the urging of his colleagues — a controversial amendment that would have blocked the Obama administration from modifying the Clean Water Act (CWA). The bill now heads to the Senate floor.

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a $35.4 billion spending bill for water and energy on Thursday, after Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) introduced — but then withdrew, at the urging of his colleagues — a controversial amendment that would have blocked the Obama administration from modifying the Clean Water Act (CWA). The bill now heads to the Senate floor.

California authorities last Friday filed the report of their latest accelerated review of oil/natural gas industry underground injection control (UIC) wells with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There are more than 50,000 of the wells statewide.

California authorities last Friday filed the report of their latest accelerated review of oil/natural gas industry underground injection control (UIC) wells with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There are more than 50,000 of the wells statewide.

State lawmakers and critics of California’s agency overseeing oil/natural gas activities in the state were stirred up again this week over the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) failure to meet an April 30 deadline for submitting data on oil produced water. The data filing had been mandated by SB 1281, which was passed last year.