Report: Oversight lessens drilling impact

Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y.

A study released Tuesday by the University at Buffalo’s new shale-gas institute concludes that state oversight of gas drilling has been effective at reducing environmental problems in Pennsylvania and will prevent major problems in New York if the state allows drilling to begin.

The university-funded report examined almost 3,000 violations from nearly 4,000 gas wells in Pennsylvania since 2008. It found that 62 percent of the violations were administrative and 38 percent were environmental. The environmental violations stemmed from 845 events — 25 of them classified as “major,” defined as site-restoration failures, serious contamination of water supplies, major land spills, blowouts and venting and gas migration.

The authors found that even as the overall number of violations increased as more wells were drilled, the percentage of environmental violations compared with the number of wells drilled fell from 58.2 percent in 2008 to 30.5 percent in 2010.

“The data in this study demonstrates that the odds of nonmajor environmental events, and the much smaller odds of major environmental events, are being reduced even further by enhanced regulation and improved industry practice,” lead author Timothy Considine said in a conference call with reporters.

The report says that in 2008, 170 shale-gas wells were drilled in Pennsylvania and there were 99 environmental violations, meaning 58 percent of all wells drilled incurred some violation. In the first eight months of 2011, they say 1,248 wells were drilled and there were 331 recorded environmental violations, meaning 26.5 percent of wells had violations. They cite this as evidence of improved operations and regulation.

However, a main argument by opposition groups is that the cumulative impact of more and more wells being drilled must be considered.