Fracking Clips - An Assortment Compiled in Brief

Reuters: The Promise and Peril of Shale Gas FrackingTapping the energy stored in a rock formation called the Marcellus Shale has been an economic boon to Pennsylvania, but is the state paying an environmental price? LINK.

Forbes: Halliburton Benefits as Europe Looks for Energy Security
Trefis Team— Halliburton has emerged as one of leading players in international efforts to extract natural gas from shale deposits given its success in U.S. shale drilling. The company recently announced that it had won a contract from Chevron for shale natural gas exploration in Poland. LINK.

Wall Street Journal: Left for Extinct, a Steel Plant Rises in Ohio
Clare Ansberry—On the edge of the Mahoning River, where once stood dozens of blast furnaces, more than 400 workers are constructing what long has been considered unthinkable: a new $650 million steel plant. LINK.

Wall Street Journal: Gas Drilling Bringing Jobs to Pennsylvania, but How Many?
Kris Maher—At a time when creating jobs is one of the nation's top priorities, most tallies agree that the recent boom in gas drilling has put more people to work in Pennsylvania. But just how many new jobs the surge has generated in the state is open to debate. LINK.

NPR: Worries Over Water As Natural Gas Fracking Expands
Christopher Joyce— Drive through northern Pennsylvania and you'll see barns, cows, silos and drilling rigs perched on big, concrete pads. LINK.

Bloomberg: New York State’s Fracking Lawsuit Barred by Law, U.S. Says
Tiffany Kary— The U.S. government said it will ask a judge to dismiss a New York lawsuit that seeks to force a fuller environmental review of how natural-gas extraction could affect 9 million water drinkers in the state. LINK.

The Hill: U.S. to seek dismissal of 'fracking' lawsuit
Andrew Restuccia— he U.S. is seeking to dismiss a “fracking” lawsuit. Here’s Bloomberg: “The U.S. government said it will ask a judge to dismiss a New York lawsuit that seeks to force a fuller environmental review of how natural-gas extraction could affect 9 million water drinkers in the state. LINK.

Platts: Colorado announces water-sampling effort to fight fracking fears
The governor of Colorado on Tuesday announced a joint program between the state and the oil and natural gas industry to collect groundwater samples before and after hydraulic fracturing operations, to test whether they are harmful to the environment. LINK.

Huffington Post: Hickenlooper Tells Colorado Oil and Gas Association To Expect Fracking Fluid Regulations Soon
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper told oil and gas companies on Tuesday to expect heavier regulations on fracking fluid in the state by the end of the year. Speaking at the Colorado Oil and Gas Association conference, Hickenlooper said disclosing the contents of the fluid would bolster public trust in the industry, reports the Denver Post. LINK.

Denver Post: Colorado plans disclosure rules for fracking fluids by end of year
Mark Jaffe—Colorado is aiming to join the growing number of states requiring the disclosure of chemicals used in the fracking process by the oil and gas industry, Gov. John Hickenlooper said Tuesday. LINK.

CNN: A warning for shale gas investors
Recent reports of an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into whether shale gas companies are overstating their gas reserves highlights the challenges investors face in navigating this emerging sector. LINK.

Forbes: Fracking Radiation Targeted by DOE, GE
Jeff McMahon— The Department of Energy and General Electric will spend $2 million over the next two years to remove naturally occurring radioactive materials from the fracking fluids produced by America’s booming shale-gas industry. LINK.

Platts: US electric utilities still wary of embracing natural gas: Xcel official
The US electric utility sector remains cautious about committing to natural gas-fired generation because of the fuel's volatile price history and sees concerns over the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing as a potential regulatory risk, Xcel Energy's top fuel buyer told a gas industry meeting in Denver. LINK.

Platts: Gas producers need transparency to regain trust on fracking: EDF head
Mark Brownstein, deputy director of the energy program at the Environmental Defense Fund, urged natural gas producers to disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, improve industry standards, and set specific goals to safeguard the environment in an effort to win back public trust. LINK.

New York Times: A Tainted Water Well, and Concern There May Be More
Ian Urbina— For decades, oil and gas industry executives as well as regulators have maintained that a drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, that is used for most natural gas wells has never contaminated underground drinking water. LINK.

Reuters: Cash-rich shale drillers boost output, cap prices
Jeanine Prezioso—Until recently, the nascent U.S. shale gas industry faced a major constraint on its growth, one that was bigger than environmental risk, more vexing than technology, and more challenging than the scrum for new acreage: capital. LINK.

The Hill: EPA petition heralds escalation of gas 'fracking' battle
Ben Geman and Andrew Restuccia—Environmental and public health groups are turning up pressure on the Obama administration to impose new rules on the controversial natural-gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing. LINK.

The Hill: Gas ‘fracking’ foes weigh toxics lawsuit if EPA petition fails
Ben Geman—Environmentalists battling the controversial natural gas drilling method called “hydraulic fracturing” are eyeing a multi-front battle to force new chemical testing and disclosure rules under the principal federal toxics law. LINK.

Denver Post: Public disclosure of fracking fluids
Editorial— Gov. John Hickenlooper intends to defuse one of the most high-profile and longstanding controversies regarding the use of hydraulic fracturing in oil and gas drilling — namely, what the heck is going into the ground? LINK.

Bloomberg: EPA Should Require Disclosure of Fracking Chemicals, Groups Say
Kim Chipman—The Environmental Protection Agency should order companies such as Schlumberger Ltd. (SLB) and Halliburton Co. (HAL) to disclose the hydraulic fracturing chemicals used in U.S. oil and gas drilling, advocacy groups said. LINK.

ProPublcia: Does an Old EPA Fracking Study Provide Proof of Contamination
Abrahm Lustgarten—For years the drilling industry has steadfastly insisted that there has never been a proven case in which fracking has led to contamination of drinking water. LINK.

Philadelphia Inquirer: Environmentalists file to block N.E. Pa. drilling
In another potential roadblock to natural-gas drilling in the upper Delaware River basin, a consortium of environmental groups filed suit in federal court Thursday seeking to delay the adoption of regulations until environmental impacts are studied. LINK.



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