Fact-Based Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas Development

The hydraulic fracturing process of extracting natural gas from shale rock formations has not resulted in any groundwater contamination, according to a study released by the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.

The study, Fact-Based Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas Development, found any instances of groundwater contamination related to hydraulic fracturing projects (also known as fracking projects) occurred during aboveground handling, storage, and transportation phases that are common to all oil and gas drilling operations and are not related to the hydraulic fracturing process itself.