Interactive map of oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection provides a large amount of information on oil and gas wells in the state in an interactive map. The map includes detailed information on wells across the state, generally split into conventional (blue) and unconventional (red) wells, and including:

Interactive map of oil and gas resources in Wyoming

The Wyoming State Geological Survey makes a large amount of information on oil and gas in the state available in interactive map form. The map includes:

Interactive map of tight oil and shale gas plays in the contiguous United States

The U.S. Energy Information Administration provides an interactive map showing the major tight oil and shale gas plays in the lower 48 states.

Tight oil and shale gas are two of the main types of "unconventional" oil and gas resources, and played an important role in the early-21st-century resurgence in domestic production of oil (beginning around 2009) and natural gas (beginning around 2006).

California Court Orders Obama Administration to Conduct Fracking Review

On September 6, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued an order to the Obama Administration calling for further environmental review of the effects of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in California.

Conference Committee Meeting held on the Energy Policy Modernization Act

House and Senate conferees for the Energy Policy Modernization Act met this September to discuss the progress they had made on reconciling the House (H.R. 8) and Senate (S. 2012) versions of the bill.

EPA Science Advisory Board concerned over hydraulic fracturing conclusions

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) released its final report assessing EPA’s recent study of potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas on drinking water resources.

Interactive map of produced waters in the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey's Produced Waters app provides information on over 100,000 samples of produced water from the oil and gas industry, waters extracted from hydrothermal systems (geothermal water), and some additional water wells.

U.S. District Court rejects BLM authority to regulate fracking on public and tribal lands

The U.S. District Court for Wyoming ruled that the Department of the Interior (DOI) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have no authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking,” on public and tribal lands.

What is produced water?

Produced water is naturally occurring water that comes out of the ground along with oil and gas

Making Produced Water More Productive

Friday, December 11, 2015

Overarching questions addressed in this webinar include:

What is produced water and how is it commonly disposed?
What environmental concerns does produced water pose?
What factors are influencing the demand for alternate applications of produced water?
What alternate uses for produced waters exist? What challenges do these alternatives face?

Our speakers include:

Kyle E. Murray, Ph.D., Oklahoma Geological Survey & University of Oklahoma | Slides Video
Jeri Sullivan Graham, Los Alamos National Laboratory | Slides Video
Holly Pearen, Environmental Defense Fund | Slides Video

Webinar Co-Sponsors:
Association of American State Geologists, American Association of Petroleum Geologists

CEU Credits

To earn CEU credits, please complete the associated on-demand GOLI course that was developed from this webinar with a grade of 70% or higher and then submit your application for CEUs. CEUs are awarded from the American Institute of Professional Geologists. To view the full list of on-demand GOLI courses, please browse the GOLI course catalog.

Resources to learn more:

View this webinar's Question & Answer session
Water Resources Research from the Oklahoma Geological Survey
U.S. EPA's Study of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas and Its Potential Impact on Drinking Water Resources (www.epa.gov/hfstudy)
National Research Council, 2010, Management and Effects of Coalbed Methane Produced Water in the Western United States
National Academies, 2017, Flowback and Produced Waters: Opportunities and Challenges for Innovation - Proceedings of a Workshop
U.S. Geological Survey, National Produced Waters Geochemical Database
National Energy Technology Laboratory, Produced Water Management Technology Descriptions

Search the Geological Surveys Database for reports and factsheets about produced water.

American Geosciences Institute

hydraulic fracturing