Science Focus
original post »Today, the US Department of the Interior announced new rules that will cover the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on public lands. The rules, which will cover more than 100,000 wells, will go into effect in 90 days and limit the risk of contamination by both the fracking fluid itself and the fossil fuels produced by the wells.
“Current federal well-drilling regulations are more than 30 years old and they simply have not kept pace with the technical complexities of today’s hydraulic fracturing operations,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement. The rules were formulated in consultation with the oil and gas industries, and the Interior estimates they'll add less than a quarter of a percent onto the cost of drilling a well.
Nevertheless, the rules are likely to provide substantial peace of mind to anyone near public lands that are currently being drilled. They require that well integrity be tested after drilling and cement to be used in any regions where the well passes through underground water. Recovered fracking waste would be subject to rules that ensure its safe storage.
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