We extended first-anniversary greetings to FracFocus.org last month, but it bears repeating as the folks at the Groundwater Protection Council and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) have produced a new video on the chemical disclosure registry:

Growth of the online registry during its first year was remarkable, with 15,000 wells included in the data base. IOGCC Executive Director Mike Smith from the video:

“It gives educational information about the process, allowing the landowner or interested party to log on and take a look at the well site near his home or anywhere across America for that matter.”

There’s no shale energy revolution without hydraulic fracturing, and FracFocus is integral to maintaining public confidence in that process – to keep that revolut... more »

According to a new API report, the U.S. oil and natural gas industry’s workplace safety record measures favorably with the private sector – reflecting the industry’s commitment to providing safe and healthy work environments for its employees.

The report includes 18 charts and tables comparing non-fatal injury and illness rates for the oil and natural gas industry (and its various sectors) to the rates of other U.S. industries and sectors. The charts and tables are based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Survey of Occupational Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement and the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. You can go to the report to learn more about the definitions, classifications and methodo... more »

Recently, ExxonMobil Development Co.’s L.M. Tillman addressed a gathering at the Offshore Technology Conference on the subject of energy industry employment. Tillman, vice president of engineering, said that economic growth in the developing world will drive the demand for energy and with it, the demand for energy workers. Here’s a follow-up Q&A with Mr. Tillman on energy employment, opportunities for younger workers and industry’s efforts to secure the next generation of workers.

Q: Where are the best opportunities to work in the industry, and what kind of skill sets are needed to land jobs and advance rapidly?

A: For the industry to be able to meet the energy challenge, it needs engineers and scientists who can push technology and innovation, analyze problems and develop creative s... more »

TransCanada President and CEO Russ Girling has a letter to the editor in the New York Times after the newspaper’s recent editorial criticizing the Keystone XL pipeline. Main points:

• The Keystone XL would feature the strongest steel and would conform to the highest safety standards.
• TransCanada already has agreed to 57 special conditions laid out by the federal pipeline administration, including remotely controlled shut-off valves, increased inspections and burying the pipe deeper than originally proposed.
• The Keystone XL has successfully cleared three separate environmental reviews. The final, 10,000-page environmental impact statement said that measures taken by TransCanada would result in a “project that would have a degree of safety over any other typically constructed do... more »

Check out this video by WPX Energy that describes the careful way energy companies are using water from Donegal Lake in south central Pennsylvania for hydraulic fracturing.

Regulatory Manager David Freudenrich notes that water levels in the lake are carefully monitored to make sure the lake has plenty of water for fishing and surface recreation. Below certain levels companies aren’t allowed to draw water for fracking. They also can’t draw lake water at the beginning of trout season, Freudenrich says. Take a look:

For more information, please visit EnergyFromShale.org.