Hydraulic Fracturing Workshops Launched
Mark Green
Posted February 1, 2012
This week API is launching a series of hydraulic fracturing workshops in shale energy states to continue the conversation on industry guidelines and standards that will help lead to safe, efficient production of this valuable resource. API President and CEO Jack Gerard:
“These workshops emphasize the importance of our standards and certification programs, demonstrate how states are successfully regulating hydraulic fracturing and examine where we can improve. These are serious issues and the industry is committed to moving forward with responsible development of our nation’s energy from shale.”
API began the dialogue with an inaugural workshop in Pittsburgh attended by nearly 300 energy industry officials from around the country. Panel discussions emphasized the need for excellence in the production of energy from shale, a vast American resource that’s being unlocked by advances in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies. The Energy Information Administration estimates that by 2035, 70 percent of the country’s natural gas will be produced by hydraulic fracturing. The shale industry supports more than 600,000 jobs.
Workshops are planned in Raleigh, N.C.; Annapolis, Md.; Trenton, N.J.; Charleston, W.Va.; Columbus, Ohio; Lansing, Mich.; Albany, N.Y.; Fort Worth, Texas; Oklahoma City; San Antonio; Denver; Bismarck, N.D.; Billings, Mont.; and Cheyenne, Wyo. The workshop series began earlier this week in Little Rock, Ark. Gerard:
“Hydraulic fracturing is critical to our nation’s energy and economic future. The U.S. has the second-largest known reserves of natural gas in the world, and the oil and natural gas industry is leading the way in safely developing these resources in a way that is creating jobs, providing greatly needed government revenues, and increasing our energy security.”
The emphasis on industry guidelines and standards coincides with new National Ground Water Association (NGWA) recommendations that align with industry’s efforts – including chemical disclosure, clear standards on well construction, and best management practices and regulations to protect the environment. NGWA is the world’s largest association of groundwater professionals.
About The Author
Mark Green joined API after a career in newspaper journalism, including 16 years as national editorial writer for The Oklahoman in the paper’s Washington bureau. Previously, Mark was a reporter, copy editor and sports editor at an assortment of newspapers. He earned his journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and master’s in journalism and public affairs from American University. He and his wife Pamela have two grown children and six grandchildren.