fracking News

Texas Ranchers Face Growing Risk as Abandoned Oil Wells Gush Gassy Water

In recent years, Schuyler Wight has noticed a growing number of abandoned oil wells coming back to life, gurgling fluids on the surface of his West Texas ranch. Last week he found the biggest one yet. Gassy water was gushing …

Recent Earthquakes in Oklahoma Serve as a Reminder of Ongoing Risk

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — After a dramatic spike in earthquakes in the early 2010s, state regulators in Oklahoma began taking steps to limit the injection of wastewater from oil and gas extraction deep into the ground. As a result, the …

Texas Regulators Suspend Well Permits to Address Rising Earthquake Frequency

The state’s oil and gas regulatory agency last month suspended nearly two dozen permits that let companies inject saltwater water into the ground, a routine industry practice that regulators said has contributed to the rising frequency and magnitude of earthquakes …

Britain Lifts Ban on Gas Fracking in England in Push for Energy Independence

Britain on Thursday formally lifted a moratorium on fracking for shale gas in England that has been in place since 2019, saying strengthening the country’s energy supply was an “absolute priority.” Energy prices have soared in Europe after Russia invaded …

UK Says Energy Aid Will Cost Treasury Billions and Cut Inflation

Liz Truss’s UK government announced a sweeping package of measures to contain spiraling energy bills, seeking to ease a historic squeeze on the cost of living that’s likely to define her premiership. Truss’s plan would cap the average cost of …

New Mexico Oilfield Regulators Reach $1.8M Settlement with XTO

State oil and gas regulators say they have reached a financial settlement with XTO Permian Operating to resolve violation notices at wastewater injection sites in southeastern New Mexico. The Oil Conservation Division this week announced that XTO will pay nearly …

Settlement Blocks New Federal Fracking Leases in California

Leasing for new oil and gas drilling on federal land in central California is temporarily blocked under a settlement announced this week between the state and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The deal, which still needs court approval, centers …

California Turning Down Most Fracking Permits Ahead of 2024 Ban

California regulators haven’t approved permits for the controversial oil and gas extraction process known as fracking since February, effectively phasing out the process ahead of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2024 deadline to end it. The state’s Geologic Energy Management Division, known …

Thanks to Oil Boom, N. Dakota County Sees Fastest Growth in US

First came the roughnecks and other oil field workers, almost all men. Lured by steady wages as the nation climbed out of the Great Recession, they filled McKenzie County’s few motel rooms, then began sleeping in cars, tents, trailers — …

Judge Tosses Suit Seeking End to Delaware River Drilling Ban

A federal judge on Friday threw out a lawsuit by Republican state lawmakers in Pennsylvania that sought to overturn a ban on gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing in the Delaware River basin, ruling they lacked standing to sue. Senate Republicans …