All FracTracker Articles

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Evaluation of the Capacity for Water Recycling for Colorado Oil and Gas Extraction Operations

A report by FracTracker Alliance finds Colorado’s oil and gas industry has produced enough wastewater statewide to completely satisfy the current and past needs of source water for hydraulic fracturing completions.
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Sarah Carballo, FracTracker Alliance, 2022

Evidence Shows Oil and Gas Companies Use PFAS in New Mexico Wells

A new report released by Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) in April 2023 reveals that oil and gas companies have been using PFAS, a class of extremely toxic and persistent chemicals, in New Mexico since at least 2013.
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CalGEM Permit Review Q1 2023: Well Rework Permits Increase by 76% in California

In Q1 2023, the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) gave out 896 rework permits to oil companies. More than half of these permits were for wells located within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, or healthcare facilities.
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Ted Auch, FracTracker Alliance, 2023

Off the Rails: An Exploration of the Train Derailment in East Palestine

FracTracker explores the environmental and community impacts of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023.
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East Palestine Train Derailment Waste: Community Impacts

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As of March 10, 2023, 152,796 tons of liquid waste and 2,980 tons of solid waste have been removed from the site of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, to three injection wells and four hazardous waste disposal sites in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Texas.
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Photo by Kirsi Jansa

Worth Protecting: A photo album by Better Path Coalition and FracTracker Alliance

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Explore an album of photos shared by Pennsylvania residents of the treasured communities, animals, plants, and ecosystems that they feel are worth protecting from the impacts of the climate crisis.
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Getty Images

The Truth About Blue Hydrogen: Green Fuel or Greenwash?

Blue hydrogen is marketed as a clean and sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels, but is blue hydrogen really as environmentally friendly as it claims to be?
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Tennessee Pipeline Incident by Ted Auch, 2022, with support from LightHawk.Ted Auch, FracTracker Alliance, 2022

2022 Pipeline Incidents Update: Is Pipeline Safety Achievable?

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This analysis provides a top-level summary of pipeline incidents reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and examines whether or not safe oversight of the industry is possible.
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Oil refinery in Toledo, OH. Photo by Ted Auch.

Testimony On EPA’s Proposed Methane Pollution Standards for the Oil and Gas Industry

FracTracker Alliance supports strong federal methane rules and urges further improvements that are needed to curb dangerous methane emissions.
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Assessment of Rework Permits on Oil Production from Operational Wells Within the 3,200-Foot Public Health Protection Zone

This analysis shows that the policy proposed in SB 1137 of denying rework permits within the health protection zones is a commonsense public health intervention that would have minimal effects on production within the protection zone.
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CalGEM Permit Review Q4 2022: Oil Permit Approvals Show Steep Rise Within Protective Buffer Zones

During the fourth quarter of 2022, California regulator CalGEM issued oil and gas operators 222 new drilling permits, an increase of over 750% compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. Of those, nearly half (100; 47%) were for wells located within the 3,200’ public health setback zone.
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LNG export terminal

Book Review Part II: ‘Public Responses to Fossil Fuel Export: Exporting Energy and Emissions in a Time of Transition’

In second installment of this book review, Ted Auch, PhD, reviews chapters 4-8 of Public Responses to Fossil Fuel Export. Published in January 2022, this work explores the social dimensions of the global fossil fuel export system, with a focus on public perceptions and responses to new infrastructures.
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