North Dakota’s Oil Boom Brings Damage Along With Prosperity
Booming oil production has brought a flood of toxic waste to North Dakota. Energy companies reported more than 1,000 releases of oil and wastewater last year alone.
North Dakota Spills
With the help of hydraulic fracturing, energy companies have doubled North Dakota's oil production in the past two years. But the oil boom has come at a cost: these companies are spilling and leaking oil and wastewater at an increasing rate.
Oh, Canada's Become a Home for Record Fracking
While furious debate over fracking rages in the U.S., the controversial practice has been embraced across the border. British Columbia and Alberta have offered incentives and loosened regulations to attract drilling. The result: record fracking operations and rising concerns about the environmental cost.
Feds Link Water Contamination to Fracking for the First Time
The EPA’s investigation into water pollution near Pavillion, Wyo., produces landmark findings that could erode arguments used to defend safety of the gas drilling process.
Energy Dept. Panel Warns of Environmental Toll of Current Gas Drilling Practices
A report from a federal panel on shale gas said that without urgent action to improve drilling practices, regulators and the energy industry risk a public backlash that could slow development.
EPA Plans to Issue Rules Covering Fracking Wastewater
The federal government had left it to states to decide how to regulate wastewater that was discharged from wells to streams, but now says it will develop national standards.
Underground Industry: Gas Pipelines Are Big Business But Lightly Regulated
As natural gas pipelines proliferate, a loose web of federal and state rules govern a network of more than 2 million miles.
Doctors Ask New York to Study Health Impacts Before Allowing Fracking
Medical professionals and environmentalists sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo saying the state should study the health effects of gas drilling before allowing more of it.
Pennsylvania Governor Proposes Fee on Gas Drillers
Pennsylvania is the only major oil-and-gas-producing state without a drilling tax. The state’s governor has promised not to raise taxes so he’s proposing a fee instead, angering environmentalists.