<\/h1>\nPolicy Responses to Shale Gas Development<\/h1>\nSummary of Clinic Shale Gas Work<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Clinic has worked on the environmental issues related to shale gas development from several angles.\u00a0 This work has included:<\/p>\n
\n- the preparation of a guide<\/a> for landowners to help them decide whether to enter into a lease with a drilling company and, if they do, to help them include provisions in the lease to better protect their health and the environment;<\/li>\n
- an analysis<\/a> of the legal options available to individuals in West Virginia who own only the surface rights, when shale gas drillers acquire the mineral rights to a property on which the mineral and surface rights were severed many years or decades ago;<\/li>\n
- a review<\/a> of the authority of municipalities to limit, regulate, or ban oil and gas drilling in Colorado, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia;<\/li>\n
- the submission of comments<\/a> to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Waste Management on the Bureau\u2019s proposal to revise a general permit to allow the use of natural gas well brines for dust suppression and road stabilization purposes; and<\/li>\n
- in collaboration with the Policy Initiative, the development of a guide recommending best practices for states when reviewing complaints from landowners about the impacts of drilling on well water quality or quantity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Summary of Environmental Policy Initiative (EPI) Shale Gas Work<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Environmental Policy Initiative (EPI) offers comparative reviews, best practices, and resources to agencies responding to the shale gas boom.<\/p>\n
Most of EPI\u2019s work has related to shale gas disclosure requirements, for instance, in our review<\/a> of the online registry FracFocus as a regulatory disclosure mechanism, and our convening of a panel<\/a> of experts to discuss\u00a0disclosure laws.<\/p>\nRecent EPI work has branched out to consider other regulatory programs as well. In collaboration with the Clinic, we\u2019ve developed a “best practices” guide for states reviewing complaints about the impacts of drilling on well water quality or quantity.\u00a0 If you have suggestions for future \u201cbest practices\u201d guides, email them to EPI\u00a0here<\/a> (please type \u201cbest practices guide suggestion\u201d in the subject line).\u00a0And recently, EPI Director Kate Konschnik teamed up with Mark Boling of Southwestern Energy<\/a>,\u00a0to publish a\u00a0peer-reviewed article<\/a> on approaches to risk mitigation in the shale gas context.<\/p>\nWe will continue to build out our \u201cshale gas\u201d web pages to offer additional resources to state and federal decision-makers, so please bookmark this site and visit us often!<\/p>\n
\nBackground Information<\/strong><\/h2>\nNatural gas is mined and used for electricity generation, heating, and transportation fuel. Vast quantities<\/a> of gas are trapped in shale formations under much of the United States.\u00a0 Shale rock is also known as \u201csource rock\u201d because this is where gas and oil originate.\u00a0 The fossil fuels began as organic matter trapped in shale millions of years ago.<\/p>\nOver time, oil and gas migrates out of the shale rock into underground reservoirs (which are comprised of more porous rock where the fuel collects). Traditional or \u201cconventional\u201d oil and gas development focuses on finding those valuable reservoirs.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/environmentallawprogram\/files\/2013\/10\/oil_anticline.gif\" "\\"oil_anticline\\"")
<\/a>Source: Louisiana Department of Natural Resources<\/p><\/div>\n
But by 2011, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that conventional gas made up just 16% of total domestic gas production (3.6 trillion cubic feet).\u00a0 The rest of our natural gas comes from unconventional development, including the mining of shale gas.<\/p>\n
Summary of Clinic Shale Gas Work<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Clinic has worked on the environmental issues related to shale gas development from several angles.\u00a0 This work has included:<\/p>\n
\n- the preparation of a guide<\/a> for landowners to help them decide whether to enter into a lease with a drilling company and, if they do, to help them include provisions in the lease to better protect their health and the environment;<\/li>\n
- an analysis<\/a> of the legal options available to individuals in West Virginia who own only the surface rights, when shale gas drillers acquire the mineral rights to a property on which the mineral and surface rights were severed many years or decades ago;<\/li>\n
- a review<\/a> of the authority of municipalities to limit, regulate, or ban oil and gas drilling in Colorado, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia;<\/li>\n
- the submission of comments<\/a> to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Waste Management on the Bureau\u2019s proposal to revise a general permit to allow the use of natural gas well brines for dust suppression and road stabilization purposes; and<\/li>\n
- in collaboration with the Policy Initiative, the development of a guide recommending best practices for states when reviewing complaints from landowners about the impacts of drilling on well water quality or quantity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Summary of Environmental Policy Initiative (EPI) Shale Gas Work<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Environmental Policy Initiative (EPI) offers comparative reviews, best practices, and resources to agencies responding to the shale gas boom.<\/p>\n
Most of EPI\u2019s work has related to shale gas disclosure requirements, for instance, in our review<\/a> of the online registry FracFocus as a regulatory disclosure mechanism, and our convening of a panel<\/a> of experts to discuss\u00a0disclosure laws.<\/p>\nRecent EPI work has branched out to consider other regulatory programs as well. In collaboration with the Clinic, we\u2019ve developed a “best practices” guide for states reviewing complaints about the impacts of drilling on well water quality or quantity.\u00a0 If you have suggestions for future \u201cbest practices\u201d guides, email them to EPI\u00a0here<\/a> (please type \u201cbest practices guide suggestion\u201d in the subject line).\u00a0And recently, EPI Director Kate Konschnik teamed up with Mark Boling of Southwestern Energy<\/a>,\u00a0to publish a\u00a0peer-reviewed article<\/a> on approaches to risk mitigation in the shale gas context.<\/p>\nWe will continue to build out our \u201cshale gas\u201d web pages to offer additional resources to state and federal decision-makers, so please bookmark this site and visit us often!<\/p>\n
\nBackground Information<\/strong><\/h2>\nNatural gas is mined and used for electricity generation, heating, and transportation fuel. Vast quantities<\/a> of gas are trapped in shale formations under much of the United States.\u00a0 Shale rock is also known as \u201csource rock\u201d because this is where gas and oil originate.\u00a0 The fossil fuels began as organic matter trapped in shale millions of years ago.<\/p>\nOver time, oil and gas migrates out of the shale rock into underground reservoirs (which are comprised of more porous rock where the fuel collects). Traditional or \u201cconventional\u201d oil and gas development focuses on finding those valuable reservoirs.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Source: Louisiana Department of Natural Resources<\/p><\/div>\n
But by 2011, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that conventional gas made up just 16% of total domestic gas production (3.6 trillion cubic feet).\u00a0 The rest of our natural gas comes from unconventional development, including the mining of shale gas.<\/p>\n
Summary of Environmental Policy Initiative (EPI) Shale Gas Work<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Environmental Policy Initiative (EPI) offers comparative reviews, best practices, and resources to agencies responding to the shale gas boom.<\/p>\n
Most of EPI\u2019s work has related to shale gas disclosure requirements, for instance, in our review<\/a> of the online registry FracFocus as a regulatory disclosure mechanism, and our convening of a panel<\/a> of experts to discuss\u00a0disclosure laws.<\/p>\nRecent EPI work has branched out to consider other regulatory programs as well. In collaboration with the Clinic, we\u2019ve developed a “best practices” guide for states reviewing complaints about the impacts of drilling on well water quality or quantity.\u00a0 If you have suggestions for future \u201cbest practices\u201d guides, email them to EPI\u00a0here<\/a> (please type \u201cbest practices guide suggestion\u201d in the subject line).\u00a0And recently, EPI Director Kate Konschnik teamed up with Mark Boling of Southwestern Energy<\/a>,\u00a0to publish a\u00a0peer-reviewed article<\/a> on approaches to risk mitigation in the shale gas context.<\/p>\nWe will continue to build out our \u201cshale gas\u201d web pages to offer additional resources to state and federal decision-makers, so please bookmark this site and visit us often!<\/p>\n
\nBackground Information<\/strong><\/h2>\nNatural gas is mined and used for electricity generation, heating, and transportation fuel. Vast quantities<\/a> of gas are trapped in shale formations under much of the United States.\u00a0 Shale rock is also known as \u201csource rock\u201d because this is where gas and oil originate.\u00a0 The fossil fuels began as organic matter trapped in shale millions of years ago.<\/p>\nOver time, oil and gas migrates out of the shale rock into underground reservoirs (which are comprised of more porous rock where the fuel collects). Traditional or \u201cconventional\u201d oil and gas development focuses on finding those valuable reservoirs.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Source: Louisiana Department of Natural Resources<\/p><\/div>\n
But by 2011, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that conventional gas made up just 16% of total domestic gas production (3.6 trillion cubic feet).\u00a0 The rest of our natural gas comes from unconventional development, including the mining of shale gas.<\/p>\n
Recent EPI work has branched out to consider other regulatory programs as well. In collaboration with the Clinic, we\u2019ve developed a “best practices” guide for states reviewing complaints about the impacts of drilling on well water quality or quantity.\u00a0 If you have suggestions for future \u201cbest practices\u201d guides, email them to EPI\u00a0here<\/a> (please type \u201cbest practices guide suggestion\u201d in the subject line).\u00a0And recently, EPI Director Kate Konschnik teamed up with Mark Boling of Southwestern Energy<\/a>,\u00a0to publish a\u00a0peer-reviewed article<\/a> on approaches to risk mitigation in the shale gas context.<\/p>\n We will continue to build out our \u201cshale gas\u201d web pages to offer additional resources to state and federal decision-makers, so please bookmark this site and visit us often!<\/p>\n Natural gas is mined and used for electricity generation, heating, and transportation fuel. Vast quantities<\/a> of gas are trapped in shale formations under much of the United States.\u00a0 Shale rock is also known as \u201csource rock\u201d because this is where gas and oil originate.\u00a0 The fossil fuels began as organic matter trapped in shale millions of years ago.<\/p>\n Over time, oil and gas migrates out of the shale rock into underground reservoirs (which are comprised of more porous rock where the fuel collects). Traditional or \u201cconventional\u201d oil and gas development focuses on finding those valuable reservoirs.<\/p>\n Source: Louisiana Department of Natural Resources<\/p><\/div>\n But by 2011, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that conventional gas made up just 16% of total domestic gas production (3.6 trillion cubic feet).\u00a0 The rest of our natural gas comes from unconventional development, including the mining of shale gas.<\/p>\nBackground Information<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/environmentallawprogram\/files\/2013\/10\/EIA.png\" "\\"EIA\\"")
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