Dozens of residents and local officials from the towns of Azle, Reno and Springtown outside of Fort Worth bused down to Austin Tuesday to speak before state regulators about a swarm of recent earthquakes believed to be tied to the oil and gas industry. They had plenty of questions for the Railroad Commission, the state’s […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was legally justified in issuing āĀ and later withdrawing ā an emergency order against a Fort Worth-based driller following a 2010 complaint of groundwater contamination in North Texas, the agencyās internal watchdog said in a report released Tuesday. But questions linger the about the source of the contamination, it added. The […]
America’s oil and gas boom was brought on by hydraulic fracturing, commonly called “fracking” and horizontal drilling.Ā These methods of drilling, developed in Texas, unleashed historic amounts of fossil fuels in previously inaccessible shale formations across the country. But recent research from the University of Texas suggests that many wells using these techniques will see a […]
From KERA News: The Dallas City Council passed a new, more restrictive gas drilling ordinance this afternoon. It includes a 1,500-foot setback from homes, businesses, schools and other so-called protected uses. An 11th hour amendment was approved that requires a tougher two-thirds majority council vote to reduce the setback. The council approved the ordinance 9-6, […]
Railroad Commission, The State’s Oil and Gas Regulator, Says No Changes Needed After Latest Earthquake Swarm
A lot was made this week of numbers showing record-breaking numbers for daily oil production in Texas. Those figures, from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). In September, the most recent month for the data, drillers inĀ TexasĀ pulled about 2.7 million barrels of oil a day from the earth, most of it from the state’s two […]
New numbers from the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) show that energy-related carbon emissions continue to fall in the country, down nearly four percent last year. “The 2012 downturn means that emissions are at their lowest level since 1994 and over 12 percent below the recent 2007 peak,” the EIA reports. Those declines haveĀ occurredĀ in 5 […]
The current domestic drilling boom has brought plenty of jobs, traffic and concerns about pollution and sustainability. It’s also put the U.S. in a position that was unimaginable a decade ago: this year, the U.S. will be the number one producer of oil and gas, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). “Since 2008, […]
As the fracking drilling boom continues in Texas and other states, a shift has taken place. While the beginning of the surge saw a rush for natural gas, in recent years the focus has moved to oil. And in the process, a lot of natural gas is being wasted. Billions of dollars worth, enough to […]
A new study of natural gas drilling sites out today offers mixed results on methane leakage during the drilling and production process, one issue in an ongoing debateĀ over the safety and risks involved with a new surge in domestic drilling. Since domestic drilling for oil and natural gas has taken off with the help of […]
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