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The American Petroleum Institute Pens “Good Neighbor” Standards for Fracking

In a press release Wednesday, the American Petroleum Institute (“API”) published a first-of-its-kind industry standard for community engagement in shale-rich areas where oil and gas can be extracted...

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Ohio Tremors Cause Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to...

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is considering regulating drilling near “seismic hazard areas” after geologists linked a series of small earthquakes in Ohio to fracking at...

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Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Calls Proposed Denton Fracking Ban...

On July 11th, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman sent a letter to the mayor and city council members for Denton, Texas asking that the council reject a proposal to ban hydraulic...

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Efforts to Avoid Ballot Measures on Fracking Fail in Colorado

Faced with the potential for two anti-fracking measures on the Colorado ballot this November, Colorado governor John Hickenlooper and state lawmakers have been working for weeks to develop a...

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Analysts and Industry Leaders Bullish on North American Fracking Demand

Upon review of second quarter earnings reports from industry participants, analysts are rather bullish on future demand for hydraulic fracturing in North America. Halliburton in particular is looking...

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Leaked EPA Draft Offers Insight into Upcoming Shale Wastewater Regulations

The rapid expansion of shale drilling in recent years has brought with it an increase in the wastewater that is generated during the fracking process. One fracking well can produce over one million...

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Governor Christie Vetoes New Jersey Fracking Ban

Last week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed legislation that would have banned the treatment, discharge, and disposal of fracking wastewater in the state, arguing that the bill violated the...

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Fracking Hearings Set to Begin in North Carolina

This Wednesday in Raleigh will see the first of four upcoming public hearings in North Carolina over the state’s proposed fracking rules.  The hearings are part of the final phase of rule making,...

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Colorado State Court Strikes Down a Second City-Wide Fracking Ban

A Colorado state judge recently struck down a city’s voter-approved moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” This marks the second time a Colorado judge has quashed a city’s fracking ban...

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Texas Supreme Court to Hear Defamation Case Involving Fracking Claims

On August 21, 2014, the Texas Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments in an ongoing dispute between a homeowner and Texas-based oil driller Range Resources Corp. The case is not a typical homeowner...

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Broomfield Fracking Ban Upheld

On February 27, 2014, Colorado District Court Judge Chris Melonakis ruled that Broomfield’s five-year fracking ban would remain in effect.  The ban passed by a mere twenty votes.   The results of the...

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Los Angeles City Council Clears Way for Fracking Ban

A vote taken by the Los Angeles City Council last week could set the stage for a city-wide ban on hydraulic fracturing.  During its session on Friday, February 28, the ten-member council unanimously...

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Wyoming Supreme Court Remands Fracking Chemical Disclosure Case to District...

On March 12, 2014, the Wyoming Supreme Court issued a highly anticipated ruling in a case concerning the scope of trade secret protection available to exempt certain fracking chemical information—which...

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Protestors Call for California Fracking Ban

Thousands of protestors converged on Sacramento on Saturday, urging Gov. Jerry Brown to institute a moratorium on fracking in California.  The demonstration is believed to be the largest anti-fracking...

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Illinois Voters Defeat Local Ban on Hydraulic Fracturing after Controversial...

On Tuesday, Voters in Johnson County, Illinois rejected a local referendum designed to pressure county commissioners into enacting a ban on hydraulic fracturing. Specifically, the...

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Study: Statewide Ban on Hydraulic Fracturing Would Cost Colorado Billions

A statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing in Colorado would cost the state $12 billion in lost gross domestic product (GDP) and result in 93,000 fewer jobs—both over 2% declines—according to a study...

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Development of Horizontal Drilling Techniques Drives Global Demand for...

Research and Markets, a leading international market research and market data firm, has released its report on Global Trends and Forecasts for Fracking Chemicals and Fluid Markets. The report estimates...

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Ohio Links Earthquakes to Fracking, Toughens Drilling Rules Near Fault Lines

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is tightening permit conditions for horizontal drillers after a report from state geologists found a “probable connection” between hydraulic fracturing...

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Colorado House Advances Bill Requiring Study of Fracking Impact Along...

The Colorado House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that would require a study of the health impact of fracking in Colorado.  The bill, House Bill 1297, passed with all Democratic...

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Texas Family Awarded $2.9 Million in Damages from Fracking Nuisance Claims

On April 22, 2014, a Dallas County, Texas jury awarded a family $2.9 million dollars for personal injury and property damages arising out of their suit against Aruba Petroleum, Inc. The jury’s verdict...

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EPA Seeks Public Comment on Fracking Fluid Disclosure Rules

On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency took the first step toward requiring drillers to disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations, releasing an “advanced notice of proposed...

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St. Tammany Parish (LA) Citizens Group Seeks TROs to Halt Permitting Process...

A citizens group named Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany has filed applications for temporary restraining orders in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Court of Louisiana in New Orleans...

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Texas Jury Awards Damages for Fracking Nuisance Claim for the Second Time

Last Friday, a Texas jury awarded a Tarrant County couple $20,000 in damages after finding activities at a natural gas drilling site located 165 feet from their property constituted a temporary private...

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Anti-Fracking Bill Defeated in California Senate

Yesterday, the California State Senate rejected a bill that would have put a moratorium on fracking until a state-commissioned study determined that it was safe.  The bill, Senate Bill 1132, would have...

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New York State Assembly Passes Three-Year Fracking Moratorium – Senate Vote...

On Monday, the New York State Assembly voted 89-34 in favor of a three-year statewide moratorium on hydraulic fracturing.  But with the legislative session ending in just a few days, the Senate appears...

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Oil and Gas Companies Ask Colorado Supreme Court to Approve Trial Court Order...

On June 18th, Antero Resources Corp., Antero Resources Piceance Corp, Calfrac Well Services Corp, and Frontier Drilling LLC filed their Opening Brief before the Colorado Supreme Court in a “toxic tort”...

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California Issues Proposed Fracking Rules

On June 13, the California Department of Conservation released proposed regulations for oil and gas production activities in the state. The draft rules are being issued pursuant to legislation passed...

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Loveland Voters Reject Two-Year Ban On Fracking

Loveland voters defeated an anti-fracking initiative that would have imposed a two-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, within the city’s borders. Loveland is located about an hour...

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New York High Court Affirms Local Fracking Bans

On Monday, New York’s highest court—the New York Court of Appeals—upheld local bans on shale gas drilling designed to eliminate hydraulic fracturing.  The 5-2 decision clears the way for drilling...

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Rural Nevada Anti-Fracking Group Seeks to Enjoin Oil and Gas Lease Sale

Reese River Basin Citizens Against Fracking filed a complaint in federal court on June 27, seeking to enjoin the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from holding an oil and gas lease sale....

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Industry Group Opposes Illinois Fracking Rules

Labor groups and members of the oil and gas industry have joined together in calling for the overhaul of recently proposed rules governing fracking in the state.  The pro-fracking coalition, known as...

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Uncertainty Prevails as Illinois Delays a Decision on Fracing Regulations

Last week, Illinois’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules voted to push back its decision about whether to approve proposed rules governing horizontal fracturing operations until November 6.  The...

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City of Fort Collins, Colorado, Appeals Ruling Striking Down Fracking Bans

The week of September 22, the Fort Collins, Colorado, City Council voted to appeal a decision rendered last month that struck down the city’s fracking ban.  The North America Shale Blog previously...

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“Frac Free Denton” Faces Legal Fight

On November 4, 2014, Denton, Texas, became the first Texas city to vote to ban fracking within city limits, as covered by Reuters, the Star-Telegram, and The Wall Street Journal. The ballot initiative,...

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Railroad Commission Chairwoman: “It’s My Job to Give Permits, Not Denton’s”

At a November 6 event, Texas Railroad Commission Chairwoman Christi Craddick unequivocally stated that the Commission would continue to issue drilling permits to operators in Denton, despite the...

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Colorado Oil & Gas Association Seeks Overturn of Broomfield Hydraulic...

On Monday, November 24, the Colorado Oil & Gas Association (COGA) filed a lawsuit in the Broomfield District Court for declaratory judgment to invalidate that city’s temporary ban on hydraulic...

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To Fracture or Not to Fracture, That Is the Question in Florida

Using one line to get to the heart of the matter, on December 2, 2014, two Florida senators filed a bill aimed to ban fracking throughout the state.  Senate Bill 166 defines hydraulic fracturing as the...

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Denton Ban Emboldens Fracking Opponents in Other Texas Cities

After the first municipal ban on hydraulic fracturing in Texas went into effect on December 2in Denton, residents of other Texas cities are considering whether to pursue bans in their own backyards....

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Local and National Environmental Groups Seek to Intervene in Denton Fracking...

On Thursday, December 4, 2014, in Texas Oil and Gas Assoc. v. City of Denton, Cause No. 14-08933-431, 431st District Court, Denton County, Texas, the Denton Drilling Awareness Group and Earthworks...

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Is a Statewide Ban in Colorado in Play for 2016?

While Colorado cities continue to litigate their authority to ban fracing, a new environmental group is rallying to ban the practice throughout the entire state. At a gathering on February 24, the...

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Texas Legislature Takes Further Aim at Local/Municipal Fracking Bans

On Tuesday, March 11, 2015, the Texas Legislature’s 84th Session gained another bill directed at combating future local and municipal fracking bans. State Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo), Chairman of...

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Hydraulic Fracturing Moratorium Lifted in North Carolina

Last week, North Carolina became the 34th state to allow hydraulic fracturing. Years in the making, new rules developed by the state’s Mining and Energy Commission after receiving over 200,000 public...

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IRS Publishes Proposed Regulations Addressing Fracking Services by MLPs

On May 6, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published proposed regulations [REG-132634-14], which if finalized would clarify that income from certain oil and natural gas fracturing (“fracking”)...

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New Law in Texas Prohibits Local Municipalities from Banning Hydraulic...

On Monday, May 18, 2015, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott signed House Bill 40 into law, prohibiting cities, towns, and local municipalities in Texas from enacting bans on fracing. The new law provides that...

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Frack 2.0: Refracing Could Enable a Second Wave of Production Growth in the...

Operators will likely refrac more oil and gas wells this year and further accelerate such activity in 2016. The reason is simple: substantial bang for CAPEX bucks. A recent study by engineers from SPE...

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Oilfield Water Recycling Could Significantly Boost Texas Water Supplies

Robust drilling and production activity in the Eagle Ford, Permian Basin, Granite Wash, and other oil-producing areas of Texas has unleashed high demand for frac water and a surge of produced water as...

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Toilet to Frac: Legal and Practical Aspects of Using Municipal Effluent for...

Thus far, the idea of using purified municipal sewage effluent—“reclaimed water” in industry parlance—for city water supplies has proven a tough sell. Human psychology poses significant barriers to...

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EQT’s Lengthy Battle With the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental...

On November 17, 2015, Pittsburgh-based energy company EQT Production Co. (“EQT”) presented its oral argument before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, requesting it set aside a February 20, 2015, ruling...

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Colorado House Votes Down Bill Giving Local Authorities Power Over Fracking

Two Democrats joined the Republicans in the Colorado House of Representatives on April 4, 2016, to defeat a bill that sought to assert local government control over oil and gas drilling. Drilling...

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Independent Oil and Gas Producers Defeat Federal Hydraulic Fracturing Rule

Wyoming U.S. District Court Declares Bureau of Land Management’s Hydraulic Fracturing Rule Unlawful On June 21, 2016, United States District Judge Scott Skavdahl granted BakerHostetler’s petition for...

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