Last modified: 2014-12-23
Abstract
The state of Pennsylvania is looking to sell more oil and gas leases that allow fracking in state forests and parks. However, little information is available for the oil and gas development that already exist on state lands. The purpose of this paper was to examine the inspection record for wells developed under three leasing events in 2008 and 2010. The data developed in the study showed that compliance statistics for hydraulically fractured wells on state forest tracts were generally similar to other wells in the state. This result means that the wells in the state forests were generally receiving the same inspection scrutiny that wells on private lands received. While the aggregate compliance rates for state forest versus non-state forest were comparable, the data did reveal certain anomalies for individual drillers. These anomalies were identified and described so that they may be analyzed in future research. The conclusions reached in this paper may give regulators, and others in authority, information useful in the administration of the current leases and new leases that have recently been approved.