In a report obtained by the Associated Press before its official release, a government investigator says the Bureau of Land Management, part of the Interior Department, has failed to inspect thousands of gas and oil wells even though it deems them at high risk for causing environmental damage. That raises several obvious questions, chief among them being: How does a government agency properly regulate something without adequate information?
The report, from the generally well-respected Government Accountability Office, focuses on shortcomings in the BLM’s oversight of drilling on federal and Native American lands. It says the BLM “cannot accurately and efficiently identify whether federal and Indian resources are properly protected of that federal and Indian resources are at risk of being extracted without agency approval.” It further complained that the BLM’s weak oversight stemmed from what the AP termed “policies based on outdated science and from incomplete monitoring data.”
The immediate fear is that unregulated or unsupervised production of natural gas could lead to groundwater contamination or other problems related to fracking – the hydraulic fracturing of gas-bearing rock by injecting into it a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure. (And while often referred to as the “oil and gas” industry, it is mostly gas at issue today and almost exclusively gas around here.)
But although fracking gets most of the attention, other potential dangers could be as bad. Those include spills, the disposal of fracking fluids and the risk of methane leaks. Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. And fracking fluids on the surface could pose more of a threat than those in deep rock.
Of course, one relatively painless way for the BLM to get more information would be to work closely with the state and local agencies in mineral-rich states that – like Colorado – have already done a great deal of looking into the effects of gas production, including fracking. But there, too, the GAO says the BLM comes up short. It specifically dinged the bureau for failing to effectively coordinate with regulators in New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Utah.
The AP reported that “In the coming months, the administration is expected to issue rules on fracking and methane emissions.” But that is a double-edged risk. The danger is not just that too little regulation might allow for environmental contamination, but also that taking a heavy-handed or misdirected approach could hinder an industry that in many ways is not only a boom but a boon.
The explosion of natural-gas exploration and production is a real bright spot in today’s economy. Not only has gas kept this country’s energy costs down, it has brought much-needed jobs and spending.
Beyond that, although gas still contributes to climate change, it is also the only energy source now available at a scale that can quickly cut our reliance on much-dirtier coal. “Cleaner” is not the same as “clean,” but it is a step in the right direction.
It is unrealistic to expect federal regulation of gas drilling to be effective or reasonable without valid and meaningful information, as well as cooperation with affected states. That is true for critics and supporters of the industry, for Republicans and Democrats alike. Congress and the administration should make improving the BLM’s handling of its oversight role a priority.
