States to U.S. Congress: Hands Off Hydraulic Fracturing
As Waxman, DeGette consider handing regulatory reins over to EPA,state legislatures speak up in support for maintaining,strengthening current state-federal partnership
WASHINGTON, DC – As their federal counterparts in Washington, D.C. look for new and creative ways to restrict the responsible use of a critical natural gas and oil extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing, states with decades of experience in regulating the technology are not taking the effort lying down.
Earlier this week, the Louisiana House became the latest in a string of legislatures where resolutions affirming the chamber’s support for hydraulic fracturing – or opposition to Congress’s effort to disrupt the current partnership – were either formally filed or broadly approved. Many of these states have effectively regulated fracturing activities for more than a half century, and stand to lose the most – in jobs, revenue, royalties and energy output – should EPA be given regulatory authority over the proven technology. To learn more specifics about hydraulic fracturing technology, click here.
“If hydraulic fracturing were unsafe, unregulated, and largely unnecessary as a tool of producing American energy, Congress would have a good reason to step in, and states would have an even better one to step out,” said Lee Fuller, a spokesman for Energy In Depth, a new coalition of American oil and natural gas trade groups. “Clearly, that is not the case. And that’s why you’ve seen states from the Southeast to the Intermountain West stand up, shoulder-to-shoulder, and affirm their support for this safe, critical and increasingly valuable well stimulation technology”.
The latest effort out of Baton Rouge, La. was introduced by Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, and calls on Congress to maintain a provision in existing federal law preserving Congress’s intent not to regulate hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974, legislation designed to protect public water supplies. In 1974, hydraulic fracturing had already been in commercial use for 25 years. At no time during its deliberation, nor in subsequent debates on amendments to SDWA in 1986 and 1996, was the concept of regulating hydraulic fracturing under SDWA ever a consideration.
The reason? Hydraulic fracturing was then, and continues to be now, aggressively regulated by the states, compiling an impressive record of safety and performance over that time. More than 60 years after its first commercial use, not a single case of hydraulic fracturing-related contamination has been documented by the federal government. In fact, a landmark 2004 study conducted by EPA found that hydraulic fracturing posed “no threat” to underground drinking water supplies.
Because of that, other states – such as Alabama, North Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahomaand Texas – have taken up or passed resolutions similar to the one being considered in Louisiana. In New Mexico, former U.S. Energy Secretary and current Governor Bill Richardson introduced a plan in February aimed at easing unnecessary compliance burdens, recognizing that thousands of jobs and millions in potential revenue were tied to safe, responsible, state-regulated natural gas and oil production.
Those conclusions are supported in full by a recent set of studies known collectively as Project BRIEF (Bringing Real Information on Energy Forward), commissioned by the Energy in Depth coalition. In particular, BRIEF found that proposed changes to federal regulations, including those related to hydraulic fracturing, could result in:
- The forced closure of more than half of America’s oil wells, and a third of its gas wells
- $4 billion in lost revenue to the federal government; state treasuries would lose $785 million
- Domestic oil production slashed by 183,000 barrels per day; natural gas by 245 billion cubic feet per year
Natural Gas Production Brings Jobs, Growth and Revenue to Northwest Louisiana
Sometimes numbers help put things in perspective. A new report prepared for the Louisiana Natural Resources Department, “Economic Impact of the Haynesville Shale on the Louisiana Economy in 2008,” found that energy development in Northwest Louisiana is having providing some pretty serious economic growth.
The Shreveport Times reports the study found that as a result of those activities:
- About $2.4 billion in business sales have been created in the state;
- Nearly $3.9 billion in household earnings were created, including almost $3.2 billion in lease and royalty payments to private landowners. The figure represents about 70 percent of the total expenditures associated with extraction activity in northwest Louisiana natural gas formation and is mostly in the form of mineral lease and royalty payments.
- About 32,742 jobs were created, equal to slightly more than the total employment of all of Louisiana’s banks and credit unions.
- State and local sales tax revenue increased by at least $153.3 million, with Red River Parish reporting tax collections up 300 percent in the first quarter of this year.
Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle said: the “study indicates that the Haynesville Shale may be every bit the game changer for our state that we all hoped it might be…I think we are entering the golden age of natural gas. And Louisiana has the opportunity to take the lead in supplying it and showing the rest of the nation how to make the best use of it.”
The article goes on to say that the Haynesville Shale play has “somewhat insulated the local economy from the national doldrums.”
Other states-New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, to name a few-have vast natural gas resources, just like Louisiana. In the coming years, they have the chance to experience the same benefits of the folks in the Bayou State.
Potential Hydraulic Fracturing Legislation Now Has a Sponsor
Rumors are circling around Washington that an amendment seeking to give EPA authority over the regulation of hydraulic fracturing will soon be added to massive climate change legislation sponsored by Congressman Henry Waxman of California and Ed Markey of Massachusetts. It appears the amendment’s author will be Congresswoman Diana DeGette of Colorado, who sponsored similar legislation in the last Congress (H.R. 7231).
The Colorado Independent reports:
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette is leading the charge to increase federal oversight of the nation’s natural gas industry, reintroducing a bill that specifically targets a process called hydraulic fracturing.
DeGette and hydraulic fracturing detractors claim the practice harms the environment and is damaging to public health. But Energy in Depth readers (and the EPA) know that’s not the case-and that states already effectively regulate hydraulic fracturing.
The fluids used in the process are more than 95 percent water, and fracturing activities take place thousands of feet below the water table. What’s more, extensive precautions are taken to case wells near the surface to prevent any leakage of fracturing fluid, oil or natural gas.
And while the Independent refers to highlighting the economic consequences of eliminating this safe engineering practice as an industry “tactic,” we’re sure the hundreds of thousands of Americans whose jobs rely on hydraulic fracturing might think differently.
Here are the facts:
- Hydraulic fracturing is responsible for 30 percent of our domestic recoverable oil and natural gas, and has aided in the extraction of more than seven billion barrels of oil and 600 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
- Up to 90 percent of the wells currently operating today have been fraced, and in the future, 60 to 80 percent of new wells may have to undergo fracturing in order to remain viable.
- In 2007, $226 billion was invested in domestic exploration and production. Those investments drive economic growth, support local businesses and keep Americans working. Royalties paid by producers totaled $30 billion in 2007, and billions were paid to federal and local governments in the form of severance and income taxes.
- Hydraulic fracturing accounts for a significant portion of the total economic activity attributable to domestic energy production. More than 300,000 Americans are employed in the exploration and production of domestic oil and natural gas.
What’s more, regulating hydraulic fracturing out of existence would have disastrous economic consequences, including the loss of thousands of jobs, billions in government revenue and the closure of 150,000 natural gas wells.
America can’t afford to unnecessarily curb domestic energy production and destroy jobs-and the DeGette amendment would do just that.
