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Historical Vermont fracking information, 2000-2015
 in Vermont |
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This page contains historical information about fracking in Vermont. For more current information about fracking in Vermont, see this article.
In 2012, Vermont became the first state in the nation to institute a ban on fracking. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there were no proven crude oil or natural gas reserves in Vermont at that time.[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
2012
Vermont became the first state in the nation to ban fracking, despite the fact that no oil or natural gas production occurred in the state at that time. On May 16, 2012, Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law H. 464, which banned both the practice of fracking and the collection, storage, or treatment of fracking wastewater in Vermont. Shumlin said, "I hope other states will follow us. The science on fracking is uncertain at best. Let the other states be the guinea pigs. Let the Green Mountain State preserve its clean water, its lakes, its rivers and its quality of life." In a statement, the American Petroleum Institute, an oil and natural gas industry group, said the state was embarking upon an "irresponsible path that ignores three major needs: jobs, government revenue, and energy security."[6][7]
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, "Vermont 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 Huffington Post, "Vermont Fracking Ban: Green Mountain State Is First In U.S. To Restrict Gas Drilling Technique," May 16, 2012
- ↑ The Vermont Legislative Bill Tracking System, "H. 464," accessed July 8, 2014
