The Railroad Commission of Texas, which oversees drilling in the state, passed new rules requiring the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) today. The rules were proposed by the state legislature earlier this year and signed into law by Governor Rick Perry this summer. Companies will have to disclose on the website FracFocus what […]

It’s been only a few days since the EPA released draft findings of contamination by hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) drilling operations in Wyoming, and already the industry is attempting to drill holes in the EPA’s findings. Residents near the drilling sites in Pavillion, Wyoming asked the EPA three years ago to investigate possible contamination after noticing water from […]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released draft findings of its investigation of contaminated water in Pavillion, Wyoming today. The agency investigated allegations against a drilling company, Encana, which uses a process called hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” (where a mixture of water, chemicals and sand is pressure-blasted deep underground to create fissures that release oil and […]

New rules with a big impact for many Texans came up at a meeting of the Railroad Commission of Texas today. They would require oil and gas companies to disclose what chemicals they use when “fracking.” Residents near some drilling sites in Fort Worth are concerned about the fracking fluids possibly contaminating their water supply. […]

The Eagle Ford Shale formation in South Texas has made headlines for its abundance of natural gas, but the formation doesn’t end at the Rio Grande. That fact is not lost on the Mexican government. Last week, the Mexican Minister of Energy proposed ramping up hydraulic fracturing operations in Northern Mexico. The announcement wasn’t especially […]

Much of the attention to the potential dangers of oil and gas exploration, especially in hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking”), has focused on the environmental impact it may have. Will it cause earthquakes? Can it pollute the water? Does natural gas have a bigger carbon footprint than coal? But a new study from the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), a […]

It might sound surprising that the U.S. does not allow the export of one of its most valuable and plentiful natural resources — but in the case of crude oil, it’s true. A lot of Texas politicians would like to see the ban overturned, and soon lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives may vote […]

An inquiry by the agency that regulates the oil and gas industry in Texas has found that oil and gas activity did not likely cause a swarm of earthquakes around the north Texas towns of Azle and Reno starting in 2013. The finding, however, flies in the face of a peer-reviewed scientific study of the […]

This year state lawmakers severely restricted the ability of Texas towns to regulate local oil and gas drilling. A law known as House Bill 40 was a reaction to a fracking ban passed by voters in the North Texas city of Denton. Denton has come to represent local fracking bans and clashes between local governments […]