Historical Massachusetts fracking information, 2000-2015
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This page contains historical information about fracking in Massachusetts. For more current information about fracking in Massachusetts, see this article.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there were no proven crude oil or natural gas reserves in Massachusetts as of 2015; consequently, there were no fracking operations in the state at that time. The information below describes fracking generally.[1][2]
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.[3]
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.[4][5]
Laws and regulations
2013
Although no fracking occurred in Massachusetts as of 2014, in late 2013 a bill was introduced in the state house that would have imposed a 10-year moratorium on fracking in the state. In addition, the bill would have forbidden the storage, treatment, or disposal of fracking wastewater in the state. The bill was reported favorably by the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture, but died in the Ways and Means Committee.[6]
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, "Massachusetts Profile"
- Frac Focus, "National Hydraulic Fracturing Chemical Registry"
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Crude Oil Proved Reserves, Reserves Changes, and Production," accessed January 12, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves, Year-end 2015," December 14, 2016
- ↑ 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 General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Bill H. 3796," accessed July 8, 2014