National Governors Association Center Releases a Report on Best Management Practices for Water Protection

On July 9, 2015, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) published a report analyzing the methods each state should foster in order to protect drinking water resources from the potential impacts of shale gas development. The report is entitled “State Practices to Protect Drinking Water While Developing Shale Energy.”

Before considering any measures, the NGA Center advised states to take account of the appropriate means to reduce the volume of water used in hydraulic fracturing, the ability of a well to provide effective barriers against water contamination, and the risk assessment of groundwater contamination from hydraulic fracturing, wastewater disposals and induced seismicity.

In the report, the authors conclude that “governors and other state policymakers are leading the way in devising and implementing protective practices” to safeguard the public interest from the risks of groundwater contamination associated with hydraulic fracturing.

Further information is available at http://www.nga.org/cms/center.

Written by Chloe Marie - Research Fellow

07/13/2015