• “States should continue to play the chief regulatory role”
• “There has never been a confirmed report of groundwater contamination”
• “There are no documented cases of fracturing causing groundwater contamination”
• “There have been more than one million wells using hydraulic fracturing drilled nationally since the 1960s and not a single instance of direct groundwater contamination has been tied to the process”

Ground Water Protection Council: “The Oklahoma City-based Ground Water Protection Council that Paque heads takes the position that states should continue to play the chief regulatory role because they already have experienced staffs in place and are more knowledgeable about the unique geology and hydrology of their regions. The council is an association of state regulatory agencies that oversee the oil and gas industry and impose rules to protect groundwater. Members include the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which deals with various water issues. “It would be nigh impossible for the federal government to step in and replace the thousands of people the states have doing it now,” Paque said. (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, 6/29/10)

Top Texas Oil, Natural Gas Regulator: “With many thousands of fracs taking place in Texas, Commission records do not indicate a single documented water contamination case associated with hydraulic fracturing in our state. The study the EPA is conducting, like other studies in the past, will show the positive benefits of this homegrown technology that has increased our supply of clean burning natural gas that makes America more energy secure. (Texas Insider, 7/9/10)

Alabama Oil, Natural Gas Regulator: “There have been thousands of fracking operations in the state, according to board Deputy Director Dave Bolin, going back to the 1940s, when the process was in its infancy. “There has never been a confirmed report of groundwater contamination,” said Bolin, citing regulations requiring operators to seal fracking pipes with steel and cement to 300 feet below the water table, to prevent the fracking fluids from seeping in. “And the fact is, if we as a state want this resource to be viable, the hydraulic fracturing process is necessary.” (Birmingham News, 7/12/10)

Texas Oil, Natural Gas Regulator: “Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Victor Carrillo also strongly defended fracturing, saying that without it, gas recovery from tight rock formations such as the Barnett Shale — the leading gas-producing area in the nation — would be “impossible.” There are no documented cases of fracturing causing groundwater contamination in Texas, he said. (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, 7/8/10)

Pa. Oil, Natural Gas Assoc.: “[Hydraulic fracturing] has been used in oil and natural gas development since 1949. It is not new. It is not unproven. It is not experimental. … Without hydraulic fracturing – which is regulated competently by the states – we would not have new oil and natural gas resources in the United States. We would continue to rely on foreign countries for the oil we need to turn into gasoline to drive our cars. We would have coal and nuclear power to meet some of our electricity needs, but we would not have a homegrown source of natural gas “bridge fuel” we will need for decades as we work to increase the reliability and economics of renewable fuels. (Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, 7/10/10)

Texas Alliance of Energy Producers: “Additionally, during the past 25 years, the Congress, federal regulatory agencies, state regulatory agencies, state legislatures, and the courts have examined hydraulic fracturing extensively. Yet, not one case of contamination by hydraulic fracturing has been proven. In 1995, EPA Administrator Carol Browner, who serves as Obama’s energy and environmental czar, wrote that hydraulic fracturing closely was regulated by the states and, “EPA is not legally required to regulate hydraulic fracturing.” Most importantly, she further wrote that there was “no evidence that hydraulic fracturing resulted in any drinking water contamination” in the litigation involved. Also, two EPA officials testified just a few months ago that they did not know of any contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing. (Standard-Times, 7/10/10)

Pa. Paper: “Stick to the facts”: “There have been more than one million wells using hydraulic fracturing drilled nationally since the 1960s and not a single instance of direct groundwater contamination has been tied to the process. The source on that is not the gas industry but rather DEP’s director of Bureau of Oil and Gas Management. … And a spill is not an environmental disaster. Recently, a well owned by EOG Resources had a leak and fracturing fluid was spilled. The situation was addressed without fracturing fluid entering water sources. The source on that information is not the gas industry but John Hanger, state DEP secretary. (Williamsport Sun-Gazette Editorial, 7/9/10)

Just The Facts: Gasland Debunked

Fracing film’s flim flam: “Hydraulic fracturing, as many OGJ readers know, has been around for decades. Recently, its use has driven development of US natural gas reserves locked in shale. And it promises the same for other global areas. … Coinciding with that showing, oil and gas producer organization Energy in Depth (EID) issued a 4,000-word, point-by-point rebuttal of virtually every allegation the movie makes against the technique and the industry that employs it. With that as background, call what follows a point/counterpoint on, as it happens, a subject well known to many Journal readers. (Oil and Gas Journal, 7/12/10)

Gasland aims to “create an atmosphere of fear”: “The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association (PIOGA) said “Gasland” is and inaccurate portrait of fracking made to create an atmosphere of fear. In fact, they said fracking is being performed safely in 38 states. “They are all saying the same thing in a million wells we have not had a problem with contamination by hydraulic fracturing,” said Lou D’Amico, President of PIOGA. (WFMZ-TV, 7/12/10)