AAPG Statements on:
- Onshore Access
- Geologic Carbon Storage
- Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Resources
- Hydraulic Fracturing
- Preservation of Geological and Geophysical Data
- National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Access
- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Access
- United States National Energy Supply
- Climate Change
- Tax Reform
- Natural Gas Supply Concerns
- Reformation of the Endangered Species Act
- Reformation of the Clean Water Act -- Wetlands Access
- Offshore OCS Access
- Research and Development Needs
- Oil and Gas Workforce Needs in the 21st Century
Hydraulic Fracturing (PDF)
Issue:
Regulatory oversight of hydraulic fracturing treatments for shale gas, coalbed methane and other hydrocarbon wells that may occur near zones of potable water are currently regulated at the state level. Federal legislative efforts to regulate hydraulic fracturing are not necessary because the States have been successfully regulating this process for at least 50 years.
Background:
Modern fracturing practices work to safeguard the environment and present minimal potential damage to fresh-water zones. Most hydraulic fracturing takes place in zones removed from drinking-water supplies. Although fracturing fluids vary widely, the commonly used ingredients are limited in toxicity and/or mobility in water.
Statement:
- AAPG opposes federally mandated regulation of hydraulic fracturing treatments, preferring regional regulatory expertise at the state level.
- Permit procedures for fracturing within fresh-water aquifer zones (mostly undertaken in support of methane production from coal beds) should be designed on a basin-by-basin and state-by-state basis.
- Permitting agencies should bear in mind in each instance the wide variety of possible designs of fracture treatments, and the geologic relationships of reservoir beds and aquifers unique to each area.
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