WorldWide Drilling Resource

Hydraulic fracturing has been done in Oklahoma since 1949. The process has been used on over a million produc- ing wells and the technology has im- proved vastly in the past 65 years. This has had a massive impact on oil and gas production in the U.S. In fact, U.S. crude production rose to the highest level in a quarter-century, cutting the need for foreign oi l and edging the country closer to energy independence thanks to hydraulic fracturing. We are now able to produce more oil and natural gas from older wells, and develop new production wells in locations once thought impossible. Some experts estimate without hydraulic frac- turing, as much as 80% of unconvention- al production from formations such as gas shales would be practically impos- sible. So, should the process be regulated at a federal level, or at the state level? According to Pruitt, individual states should regulate hydraulic fracturing, not the EPA. 31 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® NOVEMBER 2014 “The State of Oklahoma has a long history of successfully regulating hydraulic fracturing within our borders. The hy- draulic fracturing process is largely responsible for the boom in oi l and gas produc- tion in the United S t a t e s a n d i s leading this coun- try towards greater energy independ- ence and security. Because of spe- cific knowledge concerning the di- verse landscapes, terrain, and geo- logical formations within its borders, the states, and not the EPA, are better equipped to regulate hydraulic fracturing. The state has a vested interest in pro- tecting its drinking water supplies from contamination and has a proven track record of doing so,” he stated in the letter. We want to hear from you in the water well and oil & gas industries. What do you think? Regulating Hydraulic Fracturing and Groundwater Compiled by Bonnie Love, Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Earl ier this year, the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) announced it will be conducting research to evaluate how the EPA and individual states are able to manage potential threats to water resources from hydraulic fracturing. In response to this announcement, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt sent a letter to the director of the EPA’s Office of Inspector General suggesting the research is unnecessary, and the agency should focus its time and re- sources on fraud, waste, and abuse instead. “I am concerned that this project is politically motivated and ignores the EPA's three previous failed attempts to link hy- draulic fracturing to water contamination. In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy has investigated hydraulic fracturing's potential harm to water supplies and found no evidence linking the drilling technique to groundwater contamination,” the letter stated. Photo of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt courtesy of www.oag.ok.gov