States strengthening oil and gas regs for water protection

October 2, 2014 | By

The Ground Water Protection Council has released an analysis of state regulations which reports that a growing number of oil and gas producing states have updated or created new rules and policies to better protect water sources.

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When compared to a similar analysis from 2009, a positive trend emerges among the 27 states, which produce more than 95 to 98 percent of nation's oil and gas, to tighten measures and increase oversight and regulations pertaining to oil and gas exploration and production that will minimize the risks of local groundwater contamination.

"There's no question that state agencies are on the forefront of oil and gas regulation and are diligently working to address the safety and environmental issues surrounding modern energy development," said Mike Paque, executive director of GWPC. "Since our 2009 report, states have continued to update and strengthen their rules addressing the critical areas in nearly every subject area we examined. In addition, state oil and natural gas regulatory agencies have adopted new practices to address the technological, legal and practical changes in oil and gas exploration and production."

GWPC acknowledges that assessing the status of all states' regulatory progress is impossible in one snapshot and that as states continue to view oil and gas regulation as an ongoing, long-term commitment, the reporting is part of an ongoing review and assessment of how the community of states is responding to the country's rapid increase in oil and gas exploration and production.

"Effective environmental regulation is not a 'set it and forget it' exercise. This report demonstrates that states realize it takes committing to a process of continual improvement to ensure the clean water protections communities expect and deserve," said Scott Anderson, senior policy advisor for the Environmental Defense Fund's U.S. Climate and Energy Program. "The momentum documented in this report is encouraging, yet the fact remains that the oil and gas industry is rapidly expanding without important public health and environmental protections for our air, water and communities. It's why EDF believes that states continue to have work to do to revise, create and expand their rulebooks and devote the necessary resources to enforce those rules."

For more:
- see the report 

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