Topic - North Carolina Mining And Energy Commission

NC Rules panel approves new fracking standards

By Jonathan Drew - Associated Press

$FILE - This July 27, 2011 file photo shows a farmhouse in the background framed by pipes connecting pumps where the hydraulic fracturing process in the Marcellus Shale layer to release natural gas was underway at a Range Resources site in Claysville, Pa. In Pennsylvania’s fracking boom, new and more unconventional wells leaked far more than older and traditional wells, according to a study of inspections of more than 41,000 wells drilled. And that means that that methane leaks could be a problem for drilling across the nation, said the author of the study, which funded in part by environmental activist groups and criticized by the energy industry. The study was published Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)$