My NRDC colleague Justin Sherman just prepared an up-to-date map to let the public know how many oil and gas wells are in each state. For example, did you know there are over 60,000 wells in Ohio, over 40,000 in Colorado and almost 50,000 in California? It is critical that our environmental standards keep up with growth in the industry and with innovative practices that allow the industry to operate in much cleaner ways. Unfortunately, as stated in a study of state regulations by the Hastings College of the Law, "many of the state regulatory schemes date from earlier waves of resource extraction, and have not kept pace with changed technologies, nor with a deepening concern for public health and the environment." Since a lot of these wells are in backyards or near streams or sensitive wildlife habitat, it is time to update regulations, starting with closing loopholes in our environmental laws.
Click on the map below to see a larger version.