http://www.oginfo.com/texas_oil_gas_info/texas_better_equipped_than_epa

TX RRC’S CRADDICK TELLS WASHINGTON – TEXAS BETTER EQUIPPED THAN THE EPA

Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, in testimony July 25th before the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources’ subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, said that efforts to impose cumbersome federal regulations on hydraulic fracturing in Texas by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be detrimental to Texas energy production and job creation. “Texas has successfully regulated oil and gas production for almost 100 years and knows better than the federal government how to both serve and protect the unique interests of our state,” Craddick said in her testimony in support of HR 2728 (Flores), the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act. “A one size fits all model does not work, as different rules for different states are most effective in adhering to a wide variety in geography, geology, and environments,” Craddick said. “Unlike the federal government, Texas energy regulation is based on rules in contrast to permit- or study- driven regulation. Free market principles guided by rules in Texas allow companies to drill, so long as the rules are followed,” Craddick said. “The Railroad Commission has in place a successful and comprehensive regulatory framework taking industry best practices into account to ensure that all oil and gas activities occur while our natural resources—Texas air, land and water—remain safe. “Texas produces almost one third of total U.S. crude oil today. Last year, there were a total of 427,761 oil and gas jobs in Texas,” Craddick said. “As our nation nears energy independence, it is vital now more so than ever that energy producing states are not over-burdened by federal regulations that stifle production growth. While energy resources are abundant throughout the world, Texas’ supply is significant. Our state’s regulatory policies have enabled Texas to become one of the world’s greatest energy producers, leading the U.S. toward energy independence. Overreaching federal oversight would shut Texas’ energy industry down.”

Could not agree more. The geologic settings of all the different producing basins – from Texas to North Dakota to Pennsylvania to California to Alaska – are vastly different. A comprehensive set of one-size-fits-all regs and a blanket regulatory mentality protect nothing.