Fayetteville Shale Play/Hydraulic Fracturing Resources
Originally prepared by LWVWC in connection with the 2008 LWVAR Study on the Fayetteville Shale Play
Primary Natural Gas Companies Operating in Arkansas
Southwestern Energy Company.
886,695 net acres as of 12/31/09.
BHP Billiton Energy (leases purchased from Chesapeake Energy).
487,000 net acres as of 2/21/11. NEW!
XTO Energy. 55,631 net acres as of 4/3/08.
Arkansas Organizations Concerned about Gas Development
League of Women Voters of Arkansas
Contact: joycehale43@gmail.com
Form to request information or a DVD
Arkansas Public Policy Panel
Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers
CARE (Citizens Against Resource Exploitation) and Arkansans for Gas Drilling Accountability
Stop Arkansas Fracking NEW!
Arkansas Legislation
These bills were introduced in the 88th General Assembly--2011.
HB1392 Improving Inspections and Enforcement at Gas Drilling Sites
HB1393 Increase Bonding to Protect Arkansas from Holding the Toxic Bag
HB1394 Natural Gas Drilling Water Quality Protection
HB1395 Natural Gas Drilling Air Quality Protection
HB1396 Natural Gas Drilling Disclosure
HB1399 Rural good Neighbor Noise Abatement
HB1400 The landowners' Bill of Rights
Arkansas's Natural Gas Regulatory Authorities and their Roles
Arkansas Oil & Gas Commission, Lawrence Bengal, Director.
AOGC provides regulatory control over most aspects of development of the Fayetteville Shale Play. It is involved with seismic exploration, integration of leases/defining production units, drilling activities and construction standards, gathering lines (well to compressor), disposal of water, well completion and production reports, and well closure (dry hole or end-of-life).
Arkansas Dept. of Environmental Quality, Teresa Marks, Director.
ADEQ regulates the construction, use, and closure of reserve pits. Reserve pits are on the drilling site and are used for temporary storage of cutting material removed from the well bore during drilling operations.
ADEQ is the permitting authority for the land application of drilling fluids. Although the oil and gas industry is exempt from permitting requirements associated with stormwater runoff for sites smaller than five acres, they are still required to prevent sediment runoff and remain subject to state laws regarding degradation of water quality. This is also a requirement in the general permit for reserve pits.
Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Randy Young, Director.
The ANRC is responsible for wellhead and groundwater protection. It is the permitting agency for construction of dams 25 feet or more in height. Arkansas Law mandates that all water development projects receive certification of compliance with the Arkansas Water Plan from the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission.
Arkansas Law requires all diverters of surface water (streams, lakes, ponds, etc.) to register their diversion of surface water by quantity, location, type of use and name of user on an annual basis with ARNC. Exceptions to this rule are withdrawals of less than one acre-foot a year, diffused surface water or those natural lakes or ponds in exclusive ownership of one person.
Articles & Reports
Model Oil and Gas Laws: Regulations and Ordinances (Arkansas Public Policy Panel, March 2011)
Arkansas in the Balance: Managing the Risks of Shale Gas Development in the Natural State (Arkansas Public Policy Panel, February 2011)
Fossil Fuel Extraction and Western Economies
(Headwaters Economics, April 2011) NEW!
ProPublica online natural gas articles.
ProPublica's investigative reporting has intensively developed the topic over the last couple of years.
Drill for Natural Gas, Pollute Water (Abrahm Lustgarten and ProPublica, Scientific American, November 17, 2008)
Concerns about Radioactive Wastewater (Abrahm Lustgarten and ProPublica, Scientific American, November 9, 2009)
Drilling Around the Law (Dusty Horwitt, Environmental Working Group)
Natural Gas Operations from a Public Health Perspective (The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Dr. Theo Colborn, Carol Kwiatkowski, Kim Schultz, and Mary Bachran). Accepted for publication in the International Journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, September 4, 2010.
The Fossil Fuel Connection (The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, August 25, 2010)
Oil and Gas at Your Door?: A Landowner’s Guide to Oil and Gas Development, Second Edition (Earthworks, The Oil and Gas Accountability Project, 2005)
Finding the Balance: The Role of Natural Gas in America's Energy Future (Natural Resources Defense Council, updated January 2010)
Scientific American Articles on Hydraulic Fracturing
Business WeekArticles on Shale Gas
New York Times: Drilling Down Series (2011), which examines risks of and efforts to regulate natural-gas drilling, and more articles on natural gas
Health Aspects NEW!
Natural Gas Flowback: How the Texas Natural Gas Boom Affects Health and Safety (Earthworks, Texas Oil & Gas Accountability Project, April 2011)
Chemical and Biological Risk Assessment for Natural Gas Extraction in New York (Ronald E. Bishop, State University of New York, College at Oneonta,
Draft, January 21, 2011)
Health Impact Assessment for Battlement Mesa, Garfield County, Colorado (by Roxanna Witter et al., Colorado School of Public Health,
University of Colorado Denver, September 2010)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6
Hydraulic Fracturing (EPA Region 6)
In re Range Resources Corp., Emergency Administrative Order (U.S. EPA Region 6, Dec. 4, 2010)
Hydraulic Fracturing Research Study (U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development). This document describes the motivation for this study "to help evaluate potential risks associated with hydraulic fracturing in the Agency’s efforts to protect America’s resources and communities." This document also defines hydraulic fracturing and describes the connection between water and hydraulic fracturing. More information on the study is here.
Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing by the Office of Water (U.S. EPA)
Study to Evaluate the Impacts to USDWs by Hydraulic Fracturing of Coalbed Methane Reservoirs (U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development). This is an earlier study to gather and analyze information related to the potential impacts on underground sources of drinking water from the injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into CBM (coalbed methane) wells.
Videos and Blogs
VIDEO: Class II Injection Wells. This is a lecture by Professor Anthony Ingraffea explaining the permitting process of these waste disposal wells and cautions what to look for in the applications.
VIDEO: Animation of Horizontal Drilling (Fracking) (OERB)
VIDEO: What You Need to Know About Natural Gas Production (Dr. Theo Colborn, The Endoctrine Disruption Exchange). A description of the drilling and production process and chemicals used.
VIDEO: Investigating the US Gas Drilling Boom (theEcologistTV)
VIDEO: Discussion of problems using high-volume slick-water horizontal hydraulic fracking (James Northrup)
VIDEO: 3-part lecture on the issues of natural gas
and the scale of development (Prof. Anthony Ingraffea, Cornell University)
Blog: Arkansans for Gas Drilling Accountability
Blog: Arkansas Conservation Alliance Blog
Blog: Drilling Reform for Texas
Dr. Theo Colborn and Her Research
World-Renowned Scientist Dr. Theo Colborn on the Health Effects of Water Contamination from Fracking (Democracynow.org, April 14, 2010). Video, audio, MP3.
Scientist Dr. Theo Colborn has championed the cause of chemical poisoning in her studies of endocrine damage.
An interview on PBS's Frontline reveals the concerns for fetal damage from exposure to low, long term exposure to chemicals... many of which are used in natural gas extraction processes and kept secret legally from the public through exemptions to the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.
Her honors and recognition include the Rachel Carson Award and the 2008 Goteborg Award for Sustainable Development.
In her acceptance speech for the Rachel Carson Award, she considers future action needed to address dangerous chemicals.
An endocrine research center was founded by Dr. Colborn.
League of Women Voters of Arkansas 2008 Study
The League of Women Voters of Arkansas Study Concerning
The New Phenomenon of Drilling for Natural Gas in our State
Materials Compiled for Fayetteville Shale Panel Forum Jan. 23, 2008
Fayetteville Shale Forum Q & A Exchange Between Audience and Panelists (LWVWC, Sierra Club, Jan. 23, 2008)
Fayetteville Shale Forum--Betty Pickett Responses (LWVWC, Sierra Club, Jan. 23, 2008)
Legal Resources
Natural Gas Exploration (Penn. State Law School)
Oil and Gas BMP Project (Univ. of Colorado Law School)
Legislation Introduced in the U.S. Congress Concerning Hydraulic Fracturing
H.R.2766 Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2009 (introduced 6/9/2009).
S.1215 Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act (introduced 6/9/2009).
S.3663 Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010 (introduced 7/28/2010).
Miscellaneous
Hydraulic Fracturing (Earthworks)
Hydraulic Fracturing 101 (Earthworks)
Fayetteville Shale: Reducing Environmental Impact (U. of Ark.)
Projecting the Economic Impact of the Fayetteville Shale for 2008-2012: Executive Summary -- Full Report (U. of Ark., Center for Business and Economic Research, March 2008)
Shale Shock (Arkansas Times, August 10, 2010
The (Shale) Play's the Thing: Money, Royalty Battles, Tax Fights, Environmental Concerns Thicken the Plot (Arkansas Times, updated March 27, 2008)
Severance Tax Projection, using $8 gas price assumption. (Ark. Dept. of Finance & Administration)
Colorado, New Mexico County Usher in New Generation of Oil & Gas Regulation (Earthworks, Dec. 12, 2008). Announcement of legislative changes.
Analysis of
Chemicals Used in Natural Gas Production: Colorado (Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Jan. 15, 2008). Scientific study by TDEX on gas drilling chemicals.
Gasland: The Movie
Gasland
Toronto Star, July 21, 2010. Review.
Fresh Air (6/10/2010). Interview with producer.
Interview with producer: NOW on PBS (3/23/2010). Interview with producer.
Interview with producer: Sundance (2009). Interview with producer.
For additional information, a review (Toronto Star) and several interviews with Mr. Fox can be viewed: Fresh Air (6/10/2010), NOW on PBS (3/23/2010), and Sundance (2009).
Last updated Mays 2011