Industry

Background

Tracking the players in the ever-growing energy and environmental world.

Latest Posts

Follow this topic

February 28, 2014

Ask the Candidates: Should Texas Test Groundwater Before Fracking?

If you know what the water in your wells was like before drilling started on your land, you have a better understanding of whether drilling has changed the water. That’s the basic idea behind “baseline testing” of groundwater before drilling starts. That’s also one reason why some states, like Wyoming, have enacted rules based on recommendations […]

February 21, 2014

Not Even the Head of Exxon Wants Fracking Operations In His Neighborhood

While fracking and other drilling techniques have opened up large reserves of oil and natural gas in Texas, they’ve also caused literal headaches, traffic jams and fatal accidents, and strains on water supplies. As a result, some Texas communities are pushing back: Dallas has passed strict limits on drilling; citizens in Denton are working a ban on drilling […]

February 20, 2014

Industry Looks for Safer Ways to Drill with Acid

Acids used for drilling oil and gas wells are safe according to the oil and gas industry, but companies have been looking for better alternatives to protect workers and the environment. The concern over acids was highlighted this week in Pennsylvania, where there’s been a boom in drilling for natural gas. The state’s Department of […]

February 18, 2014

Exploring the Science Behind Man-Made Quakes in Texas

The North Texas towns of Reno and Azle have seen over thirty earthquakes since November, sometimes more than one a day. It’s been unsettling for residents like Barbara Brown. “Damage to my home, sinkholes on my property. Nerves! And a lot of angst,” she said. “Because you just don’t know when they’re going to happen […]

February 14, 2014

Dallas Mayor Says Drilling Company Suing City Is Playing A “Game Of Poker”

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says a $30 million lawsuit filed Thursday by Trinity East Energy is the latest in a “game of poker.” The gas drilling company is suing the city, claiming it breached a contract that would have allowed it to drill on city property. In 2008 Trinity East Energy paid the City of […]

February 12, 2014

Fracking with Acid: Unknown Quantities Injected in Texas

Read about the history of oil drilling in Texas and you’ll find references to how wildcatters would pour barrels of hydrochloric acid into their wells. The acid would eat through underground rock formations and allow more oil to flow up the well. That was decades ago. While a lot has changed in the drilling industry […]

February 11, 2014

What’s Causing Quakes? SMU Scientists Aim To Finish Seismic Study In Two Years

From KERA News: Researchers from Southern Methodist University say folks shouldn’t rush to conclusions about what’s been causing the swarm of more than 30 earthquakes northwest of Fort Worth since November. Scientists have installed a temporary seismic network in and around the earthquake swarm to help gain a better understanding of the quakes. On Friday, in […]

February 6, 2014

Citing ‘Limitations’ of Natural Gas, ERCOT Urges Conservation

Update: At some point Friday morning, the conservation alert was canceled. ERCOT says there have been localized outages, but they weren’t related to “overall grid conditions.” Original story: The group that operates much of the Texas electric grid is calling on people to conserve energy. Electric use is getting close to setting a new winter record because […]

February 3, 2014

Why Texans Are Hearing a ‘Loud Boom’ During Earthquakes

A Very Different Oil and Gas ‘Boom’ Comes to Texas “You might think you were in Iraq or Afghanistan,” Greg Morrison told a panel of state officials in Azle, Texas recently. “It feels like a semi truck hitting your house with a bomb going off.” He was describing the experience of a 3.6 magnitude earthquake […]

January 31, 2014

Keystone XL Will Impact Climate, But Isn’t Make or Break, State Dept. Says

An updated review of the environmental impact of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline was released by the State Department today. The pipeline will take heavy oil harvested from tar sands in Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas. The final environmental impact review finds that the pipeline will have an impact on the […]

About StateImpact

StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »

Economy

Oklahoma