Oil and Gas

Clean Water is working to protect people and communities from oil and gas production's harmful environmental and health impacts while pushing for the transition to a clean energy economy.

National

Sacrificing Water for Oil and Gas Profit

The Aquifer Exemption program in the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) program allows certain oil and gas and mining activity to occur in groundwater that would otherwise be protected as a drinking water source.

Recent Actions

Pennsylvania

Tell DEP to Control Methane from Existing Oil & Gas Operations

Email DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell and demand the strong controls for methane emissions from existing oil and gas operations.

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Pennsylvania

Don’t let the Pennsylvania Senate block climate action

Despite President Trump’s disastrous decision to pull out the Paris Climate Accords, states across the country remain committed to working to address climate change and protect public health.

Act Now!

Massachusetts

Urge Governor Baker to say no to fracked gas

Tell Governor Baker that you don’t want new fracked gas pipelines in Massachusetts.

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Massachusetts

Who deserves clean air and water?

Everyone deserves clean energy and a healthy environment, but many Massachusetts communities bear a greater health burden from fossil fuel pollution.

Take Action for Clean Energy

English

Press Releases

March 20, 2019

New Report Raises Questions About Colorado Oil and Gas Injection Wells and Threat to Drinking Water Sources

“Turning over aquifers to fossil fuel companies for injection should only be done with the most extreme caution - if at all. Colorado regulators do not even keep a list of which aquifers have been handed over to the industry, and EPA’s list is full of holes,” said report author, Andrew Grinberg.

March 16, 2019

“No Bomb Trains in Baltimore” Coalition Statement on Falls Road Train Derailment

On Friday afternoon, a freight train derailed over the 1900 block of Falls Road.

March 13, 2019

NJBPU’s $12 Billion Question: Excessive Corporate Profit or Ratepayer/Environmental Protections?

Clean Water Action joined AARP, the Anti-Poverty Network, small businesses and large industrial energy users to call on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and Governor Murphy to protect ratepayers, public health, private property and the environment at a statehouse press conference following NJBPU’s monthly meeting this morning.

13 Gas Projects Undermine Murphy Energy Plan, Threaten Climate Catastrophe

February 13, 2019

Today, Empower NJ released a new report documenting the devastating climate impacts of 13 fossil fuel projects in New Jersey.

Michigan Capitol building / photo: Denny Green, Clean Water

Lame Duck Heroes and Zeros

January 28, 2019

Lame Duck Heroes and Zeros

The end of 2018 was record-breaking. After passing 351 bills over the course of the first 22 months of Michigan’s 99^th legislative session, lawmakers passed a whopping 408 bills in a frenzied four-week long lame duck session. This was the busiest and the most environmentally destructive lame duck session in state history. Many of the bills passed were so widely unpopular that sponsors neglected to introduce them until after things died down post general election.

An Improved Howard Street Tunnel Should Serve Us All

January 2, 2019

The Sun was right to call for greater public transparency about rail traffic through the Howard Street Tunnel, as the public is poised to provide even larger subsidies to renovate it (“CSX back on track,” December 17, 2018). Our region’s railroads are critical to the health, safety, and economic development of Baltimore: a huge volume of commodities travel quickly and efficiently by rail, but bottlenecks like the Howard Street Tunnel restrict that flow.