PRO PUBLICA PAGE _ Fracking Series

 

 

 

 

 

PRO PUBLICA - Fracking Series

 

 

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, 42 minutes ago

Researchers show natural fluids are migrating from thousands of feet underground and reaching drinking water supplies, raising concerns that man-made chemicals and waste could do the same.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, June 15, 12:16 p.m.

There’s plenty of cheesy drama in the revamped soap. There’s also fracking and frank discussion about energy.

by Nicholas Kusnetz, Special to ProPublica June 7, 11:47 a.m.

Booming oil production has brought a flood of toxic waste to North Dakota. Energy companies reported more than 1,000 releases of oil and wastewater last year alone.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, May 1, 4:29 p.m.

A new study has raised fresh concerns about the safety of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, concluding that fracking chemicals injected into the ground could migrate toward drinking water supplies far more quickly than experts have previously predicted.

by Cora Currier

ProPublica, April- 2:06 p.m.

The conservative nonprofit group ALEC has pushed industry-backed model legislation that lets oil and gas companies muddy the waters on disclosure of fracking chemicals.

by Blair Hickman

ProPublica, April 13, 12:28 p.m.

In case you couldn't make it, or don't have time to watch the hour-plus recording, we pulled out the highlights.

by Blair Hickman and Cora Currier

ProPublica, April 6, 11:52 a.m.

A special edition of Top #Muckreads in advance of a ProPublica Tenement Talk on "The Perils and Promise of Fracking."

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, March 20, 2:42 p.m.

Preliminary test data appears to complicate the Environmental Protection Agency's assurances that the water is safe to drink in a Pennsylvania town (EPA said nothing about cause).

by Lena Groeger

ProPublica, March 7, 12:38 p.m.

Environmentalists have repeatedly pressed regulators to compel oil and gas companies to report what chemicals they use in the drilling and fracking process. No one knows the exact makeup of the frack mixture or drilling muds, but this list breaks down the main ingredients revealed so far.

by Lena Groeger

ProPublica, Feb. 22, 6:51 p.m.

New York communities gain new authority to determine who can frack in their town.

by Lena Groeger

ProPublica, Feb. 16, 4:44 p.m.

New proposed federal regulations would require drillers to disclose the names and concentrations of the chemicals they use, but would allow exemptions for substances deemed trade secrets.

by Lena Groeger

ProPublica, Feb. 7, 3:03 p.m.

The government's involvement with fracking actually goes back decades, and includes a nuclear blast. But calls for regulation are increasing.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Jan. 20, 3:58 p.m.

The federal agency announced it would bring tanks of drinking water to four homes in Dimock, Pa.

by Joaquin Sapien

ProPublica, Jan. 13, 4:11 p.m.

In 47 pages of comments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency weighs in on New York's potentially precedent-setting regulations for natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Dec. 29, 2011, 10:37 a.m.

The year brings a bumper crop of studies, intensifying health concerns, and a landmark development when environmental regulators conclude hydraulic fracturing likely caused groundwater contamination for the first time.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Dec. 28, 2011, 12:09 p.m.

While furious debate over fracking rages in the U.S., the controversial practice has been embraced across the border. British Columbia and Alberta have offered incentives and loosened regulations to attract drilling.

by Abrahm Lustgarten and Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Dec. 8, 2011, 9:18 p.m.

The EPA's investigation into water pollution near Pavillion, Wyo., produces landmark findings that could erode arguments used to defend safety of the gas drilling process.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Nov. 10, 2011, 6:55 p.m.

A report from a federal panel on shale gas said that without urgent action to improve drilling practices, regulators and the energy industry risk a public backlash that could slow development.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Nov. 10, 2011, 2:10 p.m.

After years of complaints from residents about foul water and health concerns, government investigators have found chemical compounds consistent with those used in natural gas fracking.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Oct. 20, 2011, 7:01 p.m.

The federal government had left it to states to decide how to regulate wastewater that was discharged from wells to streams, but now says it will develop national standards.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Oct. 6, 2011, 1:24 p.m.

Medical professionals and environmentalists sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo saying the state should study the health effects of gas drilling before allowing more of it .

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Oct. 3, 2011, 6:29 p.m.

Pennsylvania is the only major oil-and-gas producing state without a drilling tax. The state's governor has promised not to raise taxes so he's proposing a fee instead, angering environmentalists.

by Abrahm Lustgarten and Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Sept. 16, 2011, 5:35 p.m.

People who live close to natural gas drilling in four states complain of similar health symptoms, ranging from respiratory infections to lesions and neurological problems, but there is little science or study to get at the cause of their ailments.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Sept. 1, 2011, 4:12 p.m.

Though the industry sometimes touts natural gas drilling as dominated by small businesses, the 10 largest drillers account for one-third of all domestic production.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Aug. 12, 2011, 10:16 a.m.

An Energy Department panel said there are serious environmental consequences of drilling for gas in deep shale formations. Without action, the panel said, those problems will worsen.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Aug. 9, 2011, 1:49 p.m.

In an interview, the commissioner of New York's Department of Environmental Conservation says he is confident underground contamination from hydraulic fracturing is not a risk, and that the Environmental Protection Agency's study of fracking won't yield new information.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Aug. 4, 2011, 12:43 p.m.

A 24-year-old EPA report uncovered this week adds to a list of examples of how water supplies are polluted in natural gas drilling areas and provides the strongest articulation yet by federal officials that fracking has caused the contamination.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, July 29, 2011, 4:23 p.m.

New federal regulations would require companies to reduce the amount of smog-forming and toxic pollutants emitted in many stages of the production, transmission and storage of natural gas.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, July 14, 2011, 1:04 p.m.

City officials had advocated for a seven-mile buffer. Instead, the state is proposing to allow drilling within 1,000 feet of tunnels that carry water to New York City.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, July 8, 2011, 9 a.m.

Drilling is still months away, but talk has already begun about legal challenges from energy companies and landowners in the areas where hydraulic fracturing would be prohibited.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, June 30, 2011, 4:53 p.m.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, June 30, 2011, 12:15 p.m.

The pace of domestic oil and gas drilling is nearing the 20-year high reached before the recession. The growth undermines claims that increased regulation slows drilling.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, June 24, 2011, 2:07 p.m.

The EPA has picked 7 sites in 5 states that it will focus on for its national study of the effects of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, June 20, 2011, 4:36 p.m.

Five states have adopted rules requiring drilling companies to disclose what's in hydraulic fracturing fluids, but critics say they don't go far enough to protect public health and the environment.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, May 25, 2011, 12:44 p.m.

Exxon's full-page ad illustrates how well pipes are protected with casings of steel and cement. But the picture's not as pretty as the company paints it.

by Marie C. Baca, Special to ProPublica May 19, 2011, 12:01 a.m.

Gas drillers are using a powerful legal tool to force reluctant landowners to cooperate.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, May 17, 2011, 4:19 p.m.

Chesapeake Energy is fined more than $1 million after contaminating water supplies in Bradford County.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, May 17, 2011, 1:14 p.m.

The drilling industry complained about a lack of data related to methane in water wells that it has been collecting for years.

by Eric Umansky

ProPublica, May 12, 2011, 10:29 a.m.

A great video explaining fracking.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, May 9, 2011, 3 p.m.

For the first time, a peer-reviewed scientific study has linked natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing with a pattern of drinking water contamination so severe that some faucets can be lit on fire.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, May 5, 2011, 11:09 a.m.

Officials say oil and gas inspectors do not need approval from DEP Secretary Michael Krancer to issue violations to companies drilling for gas in the Marcellus Shale, contradicting earlier reports and leaked emails.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, April 26, 2011, 1:11 p.m.

A Texas emergency response team was flown in to deal with a recent Pennsylvania gas well accident, even though the state arranged last year for a local team to be available.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, April 21, 2011, 2:33 p.m.

The natural gas industry must develop regulations that scale up drilling safely and learn from the mistakes made in the United States.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, April 13, 2011, 6:32 p.m.

C. Alan Walker, a former coal baron and prominent Republican donor, gained unanimous support to oversee the PA's Department of Community and Economic Development.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, April 12, 2011, 1:39 p.m.

Evidence continues to mount saying that natural gas is not be as clean as we like to think.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, April 11, 2011, 12:01 a.m.

Pennsylvania's governor has asked C. Alan Walker to promote job growth by helping companies get the permits that they need. But Walker's personal business history raises a crucial question: How might an anti-regulation coal mogul affect the state's environmental regulations for the Marcellus Shale?

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, April 4, 2011, 1 a.m.

Oil, gas and tainted water can seep through abandoned gas and oil wells into drinking water sources and sometimes into septic systems. But most states don't have enough money to plug them.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, March 30, 2011, 6:46 p.m.

A leaked memo says oil and gas inspectors can no longer issue violations to drilling companies in the Marcellus Shale without first getting the approval of top officials.

by Abrahm Lustgarten, Nicholas Kusnetz and Joaquin Sapien

ProPublica, March 9, 2011, 11:50 p.m.

Pennsylvania's governor has appointed an energy industry executive to oversee the state's job creation effort and wants to give him unusual authority to streamline state permits, including for gas drilling.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, March 9, 2011, 1:21 p.m.

Benjamin Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the Environmental Protection Agency in the George W. Bush administration, ponders criticism leveled at a 2004 study on hydraulic fracturing and suggests that it's now time for Congress and the EPA to take another look at the practice.

ProPublica, Feb. 28, 2011, 7:48 p.m.

The possible dangers of gas drilling, including the process known as hydraulic fracturing, are drawing more attention from the media as gas drilling expands across the United States. Here's a quick breakdown of the key issues, drawn from ProPublica's reporting.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Feb. 25, 2011, 7 a.m.

When the well water on Louis Meeks' ranch turned brown and oily, he suspected that the thousands of natural gas wells dotting the once-empty Wyoming landscape were somehow to blame. The hard part was proving it.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Feb. 10, 2011, 10:13 a.m.

The former head of Pennsylvania's environmental agency defends his department, but says more work is needed to protect the state's natural resources from gas drilling.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Feb. 9, 2011, 3:32 p.m.

An EPA study would be the most comprehensive investigation yet of whether hydraulic fracturing risks polluting drinking water near oil and gas wells across the nation.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Feb. 4, 2011, 4:51 p.m.

A U.S. Forest Service report chronicles the damage done by a gas well in the Monongahela National Forest, deep in the mountains of West Virginia.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Feb. 3, 2011, 12:05 p.m.

With Pennsylvania not enforcing reporting rules, regulators may lack details on some wells until months after they are drilled.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Feb. 2, 2011, 7:14 p.m.

After three members of Congress found that drilling companies used more than 32 million gallons of diesel fuel to hydraulically fracture oil and gas wells between 2005 and 2009, the industry is fighting back.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Jan. 31, 2011, 7:52 p.m.

ProPublica responds to a pro-drilling industry group that questioned the veracity of its story on greenhouse gas emissions from gas fields

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Jan. 28, 2011, 12:52 p.m.

Philadelphia officials recommended holding off on drilling in the watershed that provides the city's drinking water until an EPA fracking study is finished. The city is the latest of several local governments to call for drilling bans.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Jan. 25, 2011, 9:34 a.m.

New emissions estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency cast doubt on the assumption that gas offers a quick and easy solution to climate change.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Jan. 21, 2011, 3:23 p.m.

Many of Pennsylvania's waterways suffer from high levels of contaminants found in gas drilling wastewater. New state regulations are supposed to help, but their immediate effects are hard to gauge.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Jan. 14, 2011, 3:46 p.m.

The Interior Department wades into controversy as it mulls whether to require drilling companies to disclose the chemicals they use to frack wells drilled on public lands.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Jan. 13, 2011, 12:44 p.m.

New faces will oversee the expanding gas drilling industry in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Jan. 5, 2011, 10:20 a.m.

As gas-drilling operations proliferated in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale over the past couple of years, most of the hundreds of millions of gallons of briny wastewater they produced was eventually dumped into the state's rivers. Much of the rest is unaccounted for.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Dec. 29, 2010, 9:59 a.m.

The use of a mix of water and chemicals, known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has generated controversy and a series of studies, orders and regulations in 2010 from the federal government and a number of states on the topic of gas drilling.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Dec. 21, 2010, 7 p.m.

Residents of Dimock, Pa., are surprised -- and in some cases upset -- by a settlement that state environmental regulators reached last week with Cabot Oil & Gas, which the Department of Environmental Protection says contaminated local water from its gas drilling operations.

by Sasha Chavkin

ProPublica, Dec. 17, 2010, 2:23 p.m.

Gov. David Paterson recently issued an executive order suspending the approval of certain types of gas drilling permits. But his action did little to change the status quo, because the DEC had already stopped issuing such permits.

by Marie C. Baca

ProPublica, Dec. 9, 2010, 2:44 p.m.

Industry executives and lobbyists hold positions on an interstate oil and gas commission that espouses the safety of hydraulic fracturing.

by Marie C. Baca

ProPublica, Dec. 6, 2010, 5:30 p.m.

Expert testimony for an administrative hearing disputes the safety of exploratory wells and vertical drilling.

by Marie C. Baca

ProPublica, Nov. 30, 2010, 3:41 p.m.

The New York state legislature gave its final approval to a bill that would, if signed by the governor, place a hold on new fracking until May 2011.

by Marie C. Baca

ProPublica, Nov. 16, 2010, 5:49 p.m.

Citing health and environmental concerns, Pittsburgh's city council unanimously passes a ban on natural gas drilling within city limits.

by Marie C. Baca

ProPublica, Nov. 16, 2010, 1:52 p.m.

Halliburton's refusal to give the EPA a list of its fracking chemicals may seem risky, but its anti-disclosure campaign appears to be working in Pennsylvania.

by Marie C. Baca

ProPublica, Nov. 12, 2010, 8:55 a.m.

Recently ousted New York environmental commissioner Pete Grannis talks to ProPublica about hydraulic fracturing, his time as a regulator and the future of natural gas drilling in America.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Nov. 9, 2010, 1:13 p.m.

Testing has shown that methane gas in water wells across the country matches the methane being drilled for natural gas supplies. But a woman quoted in a New York Times report hinted that in Pennsylvania -- despite state official's conclusions to the contrary -- that may not be the case.

by Marie C. Baca

ProPublica, Nov. 2, 2010, 11:03 a.m.

New rules in Wyoming require natural gas drilling companies to disclose the makeup of their hydraulic fracturing fluids, but two chemical manufacturers don't want to share their formulas with the public.

by Marie C. Baca

ProPublica, Oct. 26, 2010, 10:11 a.m.

Memo from fired New York environmental chief says Paterson budget cuts would make it harder to clean up spills, respond to natural gas drilling in New York state.

by Marian Wang

ProPublica, Oct. 1, 2010, 11:06 a.m.

Environmental regulators in Pennsylvania say they'll likely end up in court with a gas drilling company they say has contaminated the drinking water supply for families living in Dimock, Pa.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Sept. 14, 2010, 4:17 p.m.

New rules place Wyoming at the forefront of the national push to disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Sept. 8, 2010, 6:35 p.m.

A state bulletin warns that environmental "extremists" may target public hearings and other events for criminal activity to protest natural gas drilling in rural parts of Pennsylvania, but drilling opponents say the threat is exaggerated.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Sept. 1, 2010, 5:42 p.m.

The federal government is warning residents in a small Wyoming town with extensive natural gas development not to drink their water.

by Mike Webb

ProPublica, Aug. 27, 2010, 4:57 p.m.

PBS "Need to Know" Focuses on hydraulic fracturing.

by Sabrina Shankman

ProPublica, Aug. 5, 2010, 1:08 p.m.

The drilling industry is seeking to weaken state regulations, especially in Colorado and New Mexico.

by Abrahm Lustgarten and Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, Aug. 4, 2010, 5:17 p.m.

New York senate passes a bill that could effectively ban most gas and oil drilling until May 15.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Aug. 2, 2010, 3:56 p.m.

Why methane contamination is a bellwether issue in discussion of the safety of hydraulic fracturing.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, July 29, 2010, 11 a.m.

A Senate bill to crack down on oil drillers includes a measure to protect groundwater from natural gas drilling.

by Joaquin Sapien

ProPublica, July 20, 2010, 2:55 p.m.

A congressional committee has been trying -- without success -- to get some answers from gas companies involved in hydraulic fracturing.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, July 15, 2010, 12:45 p.m.

Range Resources plans to disclose details of the chemicals it uses to drill for natural gas in Pennsylvania.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, July 12, 2010, 2:01 p.m.

A new website lets users post and find information about natural gas drilling and where it is happening.

by Nicholas Kusnetz

ProPublica, July 2, 2010, 4:41 p.m.

After contaminated wastewater from hydraulic fracturing leaks into a nearby pasture, Pennsylvania agriculture officials issue a quarantine to keep 28 beef cattle off the market.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, April 7, 2010, 8:09 a.m.

A new EPA study of hydraulic fracturing is expected to provide a broad look at the natural gas drilling process, including injection spills, leaks and water contamination incidents.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, March 18, 2010, 4:38 p.m.

The U.S. EPA plans a nationwide study to see if reported water contamination in gas drilling areas is caused by the practice of injecting chemicals and water underground to fracture the gas-bearing rock.

by Sabrina Shankman

ProPublica, Feb. 22, 2010, 11:59 a.m.

Two men face possible prison time and steep fines for dumping wastewater into an abandoned oil well in Pennsylvania.

by Sabrina Shankman and Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Feb. 19, 2010, 11:33 a.m.

A House committee is investigating potential environmental impacts from hydraulic fracturing, as two companies acknowledge using diesel-based fluids in their wells.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Dec. 31, 2009, 3:48 p.m.

The issues surrounding the production of natural gas are far less settled than the industry contends.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Dec. 30, 2009, 1:38 p.m.

As the gas drilling industry has boomed nationwide, the number of inspectors looking for violations has not kept pace, with some wells going uninspected for years.

by Joaquin Sapien and Sabrina Shankman, ProPublica Dec. 29, 2009, 1 a.m.

A New York report on drilling in the Marcellus Shale lists options for disposing of the wastewater, but the operators of those facilities say those options aren't feasible.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Dec. 27, 2009, 9:12 a.m.

Hydraulic fracturing is exempted from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act, but new information raises questions about that exemption.

by Joaquin Sapien, Abrahm Lustgarten and Christopher Flavelle

ProPublica, Dec. 24, 2009, 4:47 p.m.

New York City officials have called for a ban on natural gas drilling within the city's 2,000-square-mile upstate watershed.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Dec. 15, 2009, 5:08 p.m.

With federal land opened for drilling, two wary communities helped to set the terms.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Dec. 14, 2009, 1 a.m.

Innovative industry solutions that may make it easier to exploit U.S. gas reserves with less water and air pollution have not played a prominent role in the national debate over how to drill safely.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Nov. 20, 2009, 11 a.m.

Dimock residents seek to stop Cabot Oil and Gas from drilling in the Marcellus Shale, and want a trust fund for medical treatments.

by Sabrina Shankman

ProPublica, Nov. 11, 2009, 4:42 p.m.

Opponents of gas drilling in the New York City watershed speak out strongly at a hearing in Manhattan.

by Abrahm Lustgarten and Sabrina Shankman

ProPublica, Nov. 10, 2009, 4:18 p.m.

Legislation calls for a new review of a 2004 report in which the Environmental Protection Agency gave its blessing to the controversial drilling method.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Nov. 9, 2009, 6:10 a.m.

Wastewater from gas drilling sites is found to be radioactive, leaving big questions about its treatment and disposal.

by Sabrina Shankman

ProPublica, Nov. 6, 2009, 10:40 a.m.

Cabot Oil and Gas is fined $120,000 and faces stricter regulations after a series of spills and accidents.

by Sabrina Shankman

ProPublica, Nov. 4, 2009, 5:40 p.m.

An extra month is allotted for people to study an environmental assessment of drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

by Sabrina Shankman

ProPublica, Nov. 3, 2009, 3:40 p.m.

An energy company sends mixed messages on drilling, and some lawmakers and environmentalists continue to push for a ban.

by Sabrina Shankman

ProPublica, Oct. 29, 2009, 5:51 p.m.

At a hearing in Sullivan County, N.Y., anxious residents complain that they will have little control over drilling while directly feeling its effects.

by Sabrina Shankman

ProPublica, Oct. 28, 2009, 5:31 p.m.

Chesapeake Energy says it will not drill for natural gas in New York City's upstate watershed.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Oct. 23, 2009, 4:33 p.m.

A top environmental official makes strong comments about protecting the city's water supply, but the Bloomberg administration isn't taking a firm stance yet.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Oct. 23, 2009, Midnight

New York's review of the environmental risks posed by natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale offers the clearest picture yet of the chemicals used in the drilling process called hydraulic fracturing.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Oct. 8, 2009, 12:11 a.m.

Reports done for the state and the city differ in their assessments of the environmental risks posed by drilling.

by Joaquin Sapien

ProPublica, Oct. 4, 2009, 12:05 a.m.

Contamination in the Monongahela River has raised questions about how Pennsylvania will handle the volume of wastewater produced by oil and gas wells.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Oct. 2, 2009, 2:58 p.m.

Because of growing concern about water contamination, some in the gas industry say companies should be more open about the chemicals used in drilling.

by Abrahm Lustgarten, Joaquin Sapien, and Sabrina Shankman, ProPublica Sept. 30, 2009, 8:57 p.m.

A new review by a state agency proposes guidelines for hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale, but would not ban drilling within the New York City watershed.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Sept. 25, 2009, 1:39 p.m.

The shutdown of natural-gas drilling operations follows three recent chemical spills in Susquehanna County.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Sept. 23, 2009, 1:13 p.m.

Cabot Oil and Gas is charged with five violations, and a state official expresses "great concern" over problems at a well near Dimock.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Sept. 21, 2009, 5:09 p.m.

Another contamination incident adds to the list of problems involving natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Aug. 25, 2009, 1:36 p.m.

Contaminated wells in Wyoming could become the first to be scientifically linked to a gas-drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Aug. 4, 2009, 2:45 p.m.

Pennsylvania officials are investigating another natural gas well leak in Lycoming County.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, July 31, 2009, 12:29 p.m.

Methane related to the natural gas industry has contaminated water wells in at least seven Pennsylvania counties since 2004.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, July 29, 2009, 11:56 a.m.

The Oklahoma senator warned that legislation regulating the natural gas drilling process would be a "disaster."

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, July 13, 2009, 9 p.m.

Legislators who've been pushing a bill to regulate a controversial natural gas drilling process are now calling for further scientific study, a change in tack made under intense lobbying pressure and after a personal request from Colorado's Democratic governor.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, July 8, 2009, 5:55 a.m.

The two key arguments that the oil and gas industry is using to fight federal regulation of the natural gas drilling process called hydraulic fracturing are challenged by the same data and reports the industry is using to bolster its position.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, June 9, 2009, 1:31 p.m.

Legislation would give the EPA oversight of a drilling process that is suspected of contaminating aquifers.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, June 5, 2009, 1:05 p.m.

An oil and gas process called hydraulic fracturing is exempt from federal oversight, but Congress may change that.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, June 3, 2009, 4:26 p.m.

With growing evidence of water contamination, the gas industry tries to head off new rules from Congress.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, May 26, 2009, 9:14 a.m.

Natural gas drilling is exempt from restrictions of the Safe Drinking Water Act, but congressional Democrats are working on legislation to change that.

by Joaquin Sapien

ProPublica, May 22, 2009, 3:02 p.m.

Environmentalists want the government to start regulating the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, April 30, 2009, 4 p.m.

The chemicals that companies use to develop natural gas reserves remain closely guarded -- and unregulated -- secrets.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, April 26, 2009, 8 a.m.

Methane has been seeping into aquifers across North America, raising questions about the risks of natural gas production..

ProPublica, April 26, 2009, 8 a.m.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, April 22, 2009, 7 a.m.

Gas wells are the focus of a contamination investigation outside Denver, the latest in a series of such cases that have popped up around the country .

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Jan. 12, 2009, 7:16 p.m.

Details of the drilling process remain unknown, but the cases of water contamination are beyond dispute.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Dec. 29, 2008, 2:18 p.m.

The discovery of contaminated water has brought calls to slow down the unbridled production of natural gas across the country.

by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica and David Hasemyer, The San Diego Union-Tribune - Dec. 21, 2008, 12:23 p.m.

The Colorado River, vital but in trouble, now faces growing danger from drilling.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Dec. 16, 2008, 1:21 p.m.

If reservoirs in the Catskills are tainted, the city may need to build a water treatment plant.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Nov. 25, 2008, 12:50 p.m.

Officials worry that upstate drilling will taint reservoirs that the city depends on.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Nov. 20, 2008, 11:15 a.m.

The Bureau of Land Management approved energy exploration in a federal wilderness area, but state officials say the agency ignored big risks.

by Abrahm Lustgarten and Krista Kjellman Schmidt

ProPublica, Nov. 14, 2008, 5:30 p.m.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Nov. 13, 2008, 2 p.m.

Contamination cases have followed the EPA's blessing of a widely used drilling process.

by Krista Kjellman Schmidt

ProPublica, Nov. 13, 2008, 11:12 a.m.

by Allison Battey

ProPublica, Sept. 9, 2008, 10:35 a.m.

State and local lawmakers are seeking to permanently ban drilling in the New York City watershed.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, Aug. 6, 2008, 8:30 a.m.

The state says gas production in the Marcellus Shale won't hurt the environment, but city officials aren't satisfied.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, July 24, 2008, 11:02 a.m.

The governor moves to bring the state up to date with drilling technology, while the gas industry moves ahead.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, July 23, 2008, 5:57 p.m.

A state review will examine the impact of new drilling techniques on water quality.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, July 22, 2008, 10:27 p.m.

A new requirement will force natural gas companies to disclose the chemicals they use in production.

by Abrahm Lustgarten

ProPublica, July 22, 2008, 2:42 p.m.

State regulators are struggling to keep up with complicated efforts to extract natural gas.