With all the talk of fracking in Pennsylvania during this presidential race, it’s worth looking at what is at stake for workers, leaseholders and residents who live near oil and gas operations.

One quick but important reality check — a president cannot ban fracking in Pennsylvania. Only an act of Congress can prohibit fracking on a national level on private and state land, which is where fracking occurs in Pennsylvania.

The new high comes two years after the record low amount.

Anti-fracking groups say some aspects of the industry can’t be effectively regulated.

Among other things, lawmakers want to end drilling ban on state lands, and urge New York and New Jersey to allow new pipelines for Pennsylvania natural gas.

The authors said they didn’t know what aspect of the fracking process was to blame. 

Orphan wells are a source of climate warming methane emissions, and have been known to contaminate air, water and soil.

The patchwork of radiation protection laws for oil and gas waste in the U.S. is “inconsistent,” said an official with the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, which provides expertise on radiation protection for a number of different industries.

Job growth in 22 counties with high gas production, including eight in Pennsylvania, averaged 1.7 percent over the period, compared with 10 percent nationwide. Three Pa. counties exceeded the statewide average for personal income growth per capita from 2016-18.