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Historical Maryland fracking information, 2000-2016
 in Maryland |
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This page contains historical information about fracking in Maryland. For more current information about fracking in Maryland, see this article.
Fracking background
- See also: Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of oil and natural gas extraction. The process involves injecting fluid into subterranean rock formation at a high pressure, creating a fracture network that allows the crude oil and natural gas inside dense rocks to flow into a wellbore and be extracted at the surface. The fluid used in this process is made up of sand and water, which comprise 95 percent of the fluid, and other chemical additives, which comprise less than 5 percent of the fluid.[1]
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were approximately 23,000 hydraulically fractured wells in the United States in 2000. By 2015, there were an estimated 300,000 hydraulically fractured wells. To learn more about fracking, see this article.[2][3]
History
On June 1, 2015, a moratorium on fracking in Maryland was extended until October 1, 2017. The bill extending the moratorium passed the Maryland House of Delegates by a vote of 102-34 and the Maryland State Senate by a vote of 45-2. The legislation required state agencies to prepare fracking regulations to replace the moratorium. Governor Larry Hogan (R) neither signed nor vetoed the bill, permitting it to become law.[4][5]
The requisite fracking regulations were released by the Hogan administration in June 2016. The proposed rules kept some, but not all, of the original rules proposed by the O'Malley administration. The final regulations were released in September 2016. The regulations banned fracking in three of the state's watersheds, mandated four layers of steel casing and cement around oil and gas wells to prevent leaks into underground water sources, and required drillers to release a list of the chemicals used during the fracking process. Ben H. Grumbles, Maryland's secretary of the environment, characterized the regulations as "the most stringent in the country." Environmental groups criticized the proposed regulations and expressed a plan to support legislation in 2017 banning fracking outright. The regulatory process required a 30-day comment period for the regulations, with the potential for review by the state legislative regulatory review committee. The regulations can be accessed here.[6][7][8]
Fracking in the 50 states
Click on a state below to read more about energy in that state.
See also
External links
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Maryland Profile"
- Frac Focus, "National Hydraulic Fracturing Chemical Registry"
Footnotes
- ↑ Frack Wire, “What is Fracking,” accessed January 28, 2014
- ↑ University of Oklahoma, "Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources," accessed March 12, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Hydraulic fracturing accounts for about half of current U.S. crude oil production," March 15, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, Maryland bans fracking," June 1, 2015
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Legislature sends fracking ban to Hogan," April 10, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Md. fracking regulations include enhanced buffers around wells," September 27, 2016
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Proposed rules to govern fracking in Maryland draw criticism from environmentalists and energy industry," June 22, 2016
- ↑ Baltimore Sun, "Maryland officials say state will miss deadline to set fracking rules, as push for a permanent ban begins," September 18, 2016
