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The political aftermath of the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico has extended its reach to onshore, natural-gas prone areas as US legislators and members of the public grapple with the knowledge that unexpected drilling accidents can happen anywhere.
Energy legislation unveiled by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) last week includes a measure requiring state permitting authorities or operators to post the components of the well fluids used in hydraulic fracturing, the chemical-intensive process which has proven key to extracting gas from unconventional shale and tight gas formations (see p7).
The measure seeks to impose penalties of $10,000 per day, per violation if fluids are not disclosed correctly and within 30 days from the start of each drilling effort.
Adding urgency to the debate, a slew of national and local environmental groups have launched a concerted effort to lobby Congress and argue that onshore development poses a unique risk: possible chemical contamination of underground, freshwater reservoirs.
New taxes and fees are another possibility. The House's version of offshore drilling legislation, for example, proposes a new "conservation" fee of $2 per barrel of oil or 20 per...