The following tables provide names and contact information for CRS experts on policy areas relating to the use of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas development. The first table covers topics generally related to unconventional oil and gas resources, including Resource Assessment and Development, Technical Issues, and Markets and Utilization. The second table addresses topics related to environmental regulation and management of hydraulic fracturing activities. Broad topics include the following: Air Quality, Chemical Disclosure, Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing on Federal Lands, Water Quality and Wastewater Management, Water Resources, and General Environmental Authority for Hazardous Substance Releases.
The use of hydraulic fracturing—along with advanced drilling methods—has enabled the production of oil and gas from unconventional (low-permeability) reservoirs that were previously inaccessible. This technique is now used on more than 90% of new wells and has resulted in the marked expansion of estimated U.S. oil and natural gas reserves in recent years.1 The rapidly expanding use of hydraulic fracturing has drawn congressional attention to a range of related issues including potential environmental impacts, state and federal regulatory requirements, implications for domestic oil and gas supplies and energy independence, pipeline capacity and development, oil and gas exports, and others. The following tables provide names and contact information for CRS experts on major issues associated with hydraulic fracturing and unconventional oil and gas resource development. (See also CRS Report R42667, Oil, Natural Gas, and Coal: CRS Experts, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].)
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Legislative Issues |
Name/Title |
Phone |
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Resource Assessment and Production |
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Shale gas and other unconventional natural gas resources |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Tight oil (shale oil and other unconventional oil resources) |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
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|
Technical Issues |
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Geology (oil and gas formations, aquifers, induced seismicity) |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Hydraulic fracturing/well stimulation processes |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
Natural gas flaring, venting, and fugitive emissions |
Rick Lattanzio |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
Oil and gas drilling and production processes |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
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Pipelines and distribution |
Paul Parfomak |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
Induced seismicity (earthquakes) |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Well construction and operation |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Markets and Utilization |
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Consumption |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
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Imports, Exports, and Trade |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Trade (legal aspects, World Trade Organization) |
Brandon Murrill |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
International Issues |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
Source: Prepared by Congressional Research Service.
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Legislative Issues |
Name/Title |
Phone |
|
|
Air Quality |
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Clean Air Act (CAA) standards, green completions, fugitive emissions, methane emissions, life cycle analysis, etc. |
Rick Lattanzio |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
Jim McCarthy |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Chemical Disclosure (Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids) |
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Legal aspects, state laws |
Brandon Murrill |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Federal requirements |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Chemicals/toxicity/reporting |
Jerry Yen |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Regulation of Hydraulic Fracturing on Federal Lands |
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|
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hydraulic fracturing regulations |
Brandon Murrill |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
|
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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BLM chemical disclosure regulations |
Brandon Murrill |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
BLM water management requirements |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
Natural gas flaring, venting, and fugitive emissions |
Rick Lattanzio |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
Oil and gas leases (general) |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
Oil and gas leasing (legal aspects) |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Legal aspects (NEPA) |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Water Quality and Wastewater Management |
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Clean Water Act (CWA), surface water discharges, flowback and produced water treatment |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), protection of drinking water and ground water |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Underground Injection Control (UIC) program: wastewater disposal by injection wells, induced seismicity |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
|
Legal aspects (hydraulic fracturing, SDWA, UIC) |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Water Resources |
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Water requirements |
Nicole Carter |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Wastewater recycling (flowback and produced water) |
Nicole Carter |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Water rights and allocation, water law |
Cynthia Brown |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Interstate water compacts |
Cynthia Brown |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
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Hazardous Substance Releases |
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"Superfund" (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or CERCLA), release investigation and response |
David Bearden |
[phone number scrubbed] |
[email address scrubbed] |
Source: Prepared by Congressional Research Service.
Author Contact Information
| 1. |
Hydraulic fracturing is done after a well is drilled and involves injecting large volumes of water, sand (or other propping agent), and specialized chemicals under enough pressure to fracture the formations holding the oil or gas. The sand or other proppant holds the fractures open to allow the oil or gas to flow freely out of the formation and into a production well. See CRS Report R43148, An Overview of Unconventional Oil and Natural Gas: Resources and Federal Actions, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed] and CRS Report R41760, Hydraulic Fracturing and Safe Drinking Water Act Regulatory Issues, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed]. |