Oil and Gas States Improve Efforts to Protect Water, Yet More Work Is Needed

(Austin, TX – Oct.1, 2014) An analysis of state regulations issued today by the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) reports that a growing number of oil-and-gas producing states have updated or created new rules and policies to better protect water sources. Compared to a similar analysis done in 2009, the report shows a positive trend emerging among the 27 states, which produce more than 95 percent of nation’s oil and gas, to tighten measures that will minimize the risks of local groundwater contamination caused by oil and gas development.

“Effective environmental regulation is not a ‘set it and forget it’ exercise,” said EDF senior policy expert Scott Anderson. “This report demonstrates that states realize it takes committing to a process of continual improvement to ensure the clean water protections communities expect and deserve.

“The momentum documented in this report is encouraging, yet the fact remains that the oil and gas industry is rapidly expanding without important public health and environmental protections for our air, water and communities. It’s why EDF believes that states continue to have work to do to revise, create and expand their rulebooks and devote the necessary resources to enforce those rules.”

• Scott Anderson, Senior Policy Advisor, US Climate and Energy Program