Research From Around the Industry and Across the World
Welcome to Vinson & Elkins’ U.S. State Hydraulic Fracturing Resources. Use the links below to find current or proposed state regulations, statutes, and other documents relevant to unconventional oil and gas activities in each state. These do not represent all regulations or statutes that cover oil and gas exploration and development, but merely some resources particularly useful when contemplating unconventional oil and gas activities in that state.
U.S. State Resources
We encourage you to return often as our attorneys will regularly update existing state profiles and continue to add additional states. If there are specific states you would like to see our team profile, or additional resources you think we should include, please contact us.
Welcome to Vinson & Elkins’ Traditional Energy Resources–up-to-date, proprietary reports on shale development around the world with country-specific legal, political, and economic information. Use the links below to find in-depth information and analysis of current developments in each country.
Global Resources
We encourage you to return often as our attorneys will regularly update existing country profiles and continue to add additional countries. If there are specific countries you would like to see our team profile, or additional resources you think we should include, please contact us.
Eagle Ford Shale investment blog – A blog dedicated to investment opportunities in the Eagle Ford Shale
The Eagle Ford Shale Play – Eagle Ford News, Maps, Blog, Developments
FuelFix – a daily source for news and analysis on the energy business anchored by business reporters at the Houston Chronicle and other Hearst newspapers.
Go Haynesville Shale – “All things pertaining to leasing, drilling, production and mineral rights”
Haynesville Play: The Haynesville Shale Resource
ShaleBlog.com – “News About Oil and Natural Gas From Shale”
Reductive weathering of black shale and release of barium during hydraulic fracturing, prepared by Assistant Professor Devon Renock, Research Scientist Josh Landis and Professor Mukul Sharma from the Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Applied Geochemistry, Volume 65, February 2016, Pages 73–86.
Individual Well Costs from Proposed Rule Changes to Oil and Natural Gas Operations on BLM Lands: Comments and a Monte Carlo Specification, prepared by Russell R. Evans, Ph. D. and Jacob Dearmon, Ph. D., respectively, Executive Director of the Steven C. Agee Economic Research and Policy Institute and Associate Professor of Economics in the Meinders School of Business, Oklahoma City University, for Devon Energy. The study was released to the public on April 2, 2013.
An Analysis of the Economic Potential for Shale Formations in Ohio, prepared by faculty and staff from Cleveland State University, Ohio State University, and Marietta College, and sponsored by the Ohio Shale Coalition, April 2012
Cornell University Study: Methane and the greenhouse-gas footprint of natural gas from shale formations, Howarth et al., Climatic Change, March 13, 2011
- Rebuttal: A commentary on “The greenhouse-gas footprint of natural gas in shale formations,” June 20, 2011
- Rebuttal: Assessing the greenhouse impact of natural gas, Jan. 7, 2012
Duke University Study: Noble Gases Identify the Mechanisms of Fugitive Gas Contamination in Drinking-Water Wells Overlying the Marcellus and Barnett Shales, Thomas H. Darrah, Avner Vengosh, Robert B. Jackson, Nathaniel R. Warner and Robert J. Poreda, PNAS Early Edition, September 2014, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1322107111
Duke University Study: Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing, Osborn et al., PNAS Early Edition, May 2011, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1100682108
Duke University Study: Geochemical evidence for possible natural migration of Marcellus Formation brine to shallow aquifers in Pennsylvania. Nathanial R. Warner, Robert B. Jackson, Thomas H. Darrah, Stephen G. Osborn, Adrian Down, Kaiguang Zhao, Alissa White, and Avner Vengosh, May 2012
Duke University Study: Increased stray gas abundance in a subset of drinking water wells near Marcellus shale gas extraction. Robert B. Jackson, Avner Vengosh, Thomas H. Darrah, Nathaniel R. Warner, Adrian Down, Robert J. Poreda, Stephen G. Osborn, Kaiguang Zhao, and Jonathan D. Karr, June 2013
Economic Impact of the Eagle Ford Shale, prepared by The University of Texas at San Antonio Institute for Economic Development’s Center for Community and Business Research, May 2012
Environmental Impacts During Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling: Causes, Impacts, and Remedies , conducted by researchers at the University of Wyoming, Pennsylvania State University, and the State University of New York at Buffalo, May 15, 2012
Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources: Separating the Frack from the Fiction, prepared by the Pacific Institute, June 2012
Legal Implications of Marcellus Shale: A Video Overview — Professor Ross Pifer, director of the Agricultural Law Research and Resource Center and of the new Rural Economic Development Clinic, summarizes the legal implications of Marcellus Shale development, October 24, 2010
The Penn State Study: The Impact of Marcellus Gas Drilling On Rural Drinking Water Supplies, conducted by Pennsylvania State University and funded by the Center for Rural Pennsyvlania; revised report, Nov. 22, 2011
The U.S. has seen an explosion of shale development thanks to its large estimate of technically recoverable resources and advanced technological experience. Below are various useful federal and state resources that are updated regularly. In addition, review Vinson & Elkins’ Traditional Energy publications for up-to-date analyses on new federal and state developments and the following pages for continuously updated information:
Bureau of Land Management
- Proposed Rules for Hydraulic Fracturing on Federal and Indian Land
- Proposed Rules on Well Stimulation, Including Hydraulic Fracturing, on Federal and Indian Lands
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement / Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
- Programmatic Environmental Assessment of the Use of Well Stimulation Treatments on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf, May 2016
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
U.S. Coast Guard
- Proposed Policy Letter: Carriage of Conditionally Permitted Shale Gas Extraction Waste Water in Bulk
- Proposed Rule on Carriage of Conditionally Permitted Shale Gas Extraction Waste Water in Bulk
U.S. Department of Energy
- An Evaluation of Fracture Growth and Gas/Fluid Migration as Horizontal Marcellus Shale Gas Wells are Hydraulically Fractured in Greene County, Pennsylvania, September 15, 2014
- The SEAB Shale Gas Production Subcommittee Ninety-Day Report, August 11, 2011
- Shale Gas Production Second Ninety Day Report, November 18, 2011
U.S. EIA
- Technically Recoverable Shale Oil and Shale Gas Resources: An Assessment of 137 Shale Formations in 41 Countries Outside the United States, updated June 10, 2013
- Outlook for shale gas and tight oil development in the U.S., May 21, 2013
- Lower 48 State Shale Plays (Map)
- Energy Information Administration, Review of Emerging Resources: U.S. Shale Gas and Shale Oil Plays, July 2011
- “U.S. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids Proved Reserves, 2010”, August 2012
- Annual Energy Outlook 2019
U.S. EPA
- Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources
- SAB Review of the EPA’s draft Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic
Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources - EPA’s Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources (External Review Draft)
- XTO Energy, Inc. Consent Decree, July 18, 2013 – Consent decree regarding a produced water spill in Pennsylvania including injunctive relief billed as establishing a program of “best practices” that should be a “model in the industry”
- EPA’s Science Advisory Board, Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel Fact Sheet
- EPA’s Science Advisory Board, Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel Members
- Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources: Progress Report, December 2012
- Federal Register | Request for Information To Inform Hydraulic Fracturing Research Related to Drinking Water Resources
- Plan to Study the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources, November 2011
- EPA Letter to C. John of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, September 2012
- Final NSPS and NESHAP for Oil and Gas Sector
- Information about the ongoing EPA study
- Sample EPA request to companies for information on fracking activities
U.S. Geological Survey
- 2016 One-Year Seismic Hazard Forecast for the Central and Eastern United States from Induced and Natural Earthquakes
- Trends in Hydraulic Fracturing Distributions and Treatment Fluids, Additives, Proppants, and Water Volumes Applied to Wells Drilled in the United States from 1947 through 2010—Data Analysis and Comparison to the Literature
- Methane and Benzene in Drinking-Water Wells Overlying the Eagle Ford, Fayetteville, and Haynesville Shale Hydrocarbon Production Areas, May 2017
General Accounting Office
- OIL AND GAS: Information on Shale: Resources,: Development, and: Environmental and: Public Health Risks
- UNCONVENTIONAL OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT: Key Environmental and Public Health Requirements
National Research Council of the National Academies
- Induced Seismicity Potential in Energy Technologies, June 15, 2012
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) promotes the economic, environmental and national security benefits of greater use of domestic natural gas, and represents 30 of North America’s largest independent natural gas exploration and production companies and the leading developers of the shale plays.
- Characterizing Pivotal Sources of Methane Emissions from Unconventional Natural Gas Production, June 1, 2012
- The Economic and Employment Contributions of Unconventional Gas Development in State Economies, June 2012 (registration required)
- Review of EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study Plan, EPA/600/R11/122, November 2011
American Gas Association (AGA), founded in 1918, represents more than 200 local energy companies that deliver natural gas throughout the United States.
American Petroleum Institute (API) is the only national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry.
- Characterizing Pivotal Sources of Methane Emissions from Unconventional Natural Gas Production, June 1, 2012
- Review of EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study Plan, EPA/600/R11/122, November 2011
Energy In Depth (EID) launched by the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) in 2009, is a research, education and public outreach campaign focused on getting the facts out about the promise and potential of responsibly developing America’s onshore energy resource base.
Frac Focus, the national hydraulic fracturing chemical registry website, is a joint project of the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
Fracking Beyond the Law, August 13, 2014
Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) is a national trade association that has represented independent oil and natural gas producers for three-quarters of a century.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an autonomous organisation which works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 28 member countries and beyond.
- The IEA “Golden Rules” report on developing unconventional shale gas resources.
The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) is an organization committed to the responsible development of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale geological formation and the enhancement of the region’s economy that can be realized by this clean-burning energy source.
- MSC Recommended Practices for Pre-Drilling Sampling (released Aug. 28, 2012)
- MSC Recommended Practices for Site Planning and Development
- Appalachian Shale Responsible Producers Group (ASRPG) Recommended Practices
The National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) encourages and promotes exploration and production of minerals in the United States while preserving, protecting, advancing, and representing the interests and rights of mineral and royalty owners through education, advocacy and assistance to our members, to NARO chapter organizations, to government bodies and to the public.
The Pennsylvania Landowners’ Association (PLA) is committed to protecting property rights and land use while encouraging responsible environmental stewardship.