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Energy & Environment

Chart: Where States Fall on Oil and Gas Regulation

by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica - July 8, 2009 4:55 am EST

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State Regulation		Percentage of Drilling States
Waste pits must have leak-proof liners.	Yes	85%
	No	15%
Waste pits must be away from rivers and streams.	Yes	37%
	No	63%
Waste pits can't intersect the water table.	Yes	44%
	No	56%
Well construction has casing that extends below deepest groundwater.	Yes	93%
	No	7%
Cement used to encase wells must harden and be tested before	Yes	78%
hydraulic fracturing.	No	22%
A spill of toxic fluids must be reported.	Yes	85%
	No	15%

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This story can be found on the web at the following address:
http://www.propublica.org/feature/chart-natural-gas-well-state-regulations-708/

Links

A version of the original story in the gas regulation series was co-published with Politico and also appeared in that newspaper on July 8, 2009.

Natural Gas Drilling Investigation

Buried Secrets: Our complete coverage of gas drilling

More on Natural Gas: Waste Pits

Lax Laws Often Govern Waste Pits

Natural Gas Regulation: Graphics

Document Dive

Frac Vs. Fiction, by Energy in Depth, May 2009
State Oil and Natural Gas Regulations Designed to Protect Water Resources, Conducted by the Ground Water Protection Council, May 2009
Regulations Reference Document, State Oil and Natural Gas Regulations Designed to Protect Water Resources, Conducted by the Ground Water Protection Council, May 2009
Modern Shale Gas Development in the United States: A Primer, Prepared by Ground Water Protection Council, April 2009
Bringing Real Information on Energy Forward, Economic Considerations Associated With Regulating the American Oil and Natural Gas Industry, Prepared by Advanced Resources International, Incorporated
Potential Economic and Energy Supply Impacts of Proposals to Modify Federal Environmental Laws Applicable to the U.S. Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industry, Prepared by Advanced Resources International, Incorporated, January 2009
Table: Estimated Compliance Costs for Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing, From "Potential Economic and Energy Supply Impacts of Proposals to Modify Federal Environmental Laws Applicable to the U.S. Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industry," January 2009
Measuring the Economic and Energy Impacts of Proposals to Regulate Hydraulic Fracturing, Task 1 Report, Prepared by IHS Global Insight, 2009

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