The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has tightened its rules on hydraulic fracking in an attempt to protect water resources and ensure public safety. The DEP’s new rules took effect on 8 October, having been in the works since 2011. The DEP requires operators to demonstrate that drilling vertically or horizontally within 1,000ft of any water body or wetland larger than one acre will not affect local water sources. Water sources within 100ft of drilling must be identified before any drilling occurs. Pennsylvania produced 19,000b/d of crude oil in 2015.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has tightened its rules on hydraulic fracking in an attempt to protect water resources and ensure public safety. The DEP’s new rules took effect on 8 October, having been in the works since 2011. The DEP requires operators to demonstrate that drilling vertically or horizontally within 100ft of any water body or wetland larger than one acre will not affect local water sources. Water sources within 1,000ft of drilling must be identified before any drilling occurs. Pennsylvania produced 19,000b/d of crude oil in 2015.