Deadliest Danger Isn’t at the Rig but on the Road
Highway crashes are the largest cause of fatalities in the oil industry, partly because of safety exemptions that allow truckers to work longer hours than other drivers.
Questions, additional information or related tips can be sent to urbina@nytimes.com.
May 15, 2012 | Long Hours for Trucking
Highway crashes are the largest cause of fatalities in the oil industry, partly because of safety exemptions that allow truckers to work longer hours than other drivers.
Dec. 31, 2011 | On Thirsty Ground
A plan to drill for natural gas in the Karoo region of South Africa would use millions of gallons of water in a drought-stricken area.
Dec. 1, 2011 | Landowners and Landmen
Americans have signed millions of leases allowing companies to drill for oil and natural gas on their land in recent years. But some of these landowners — often in rural areas, and eager for quick payouts — are finding out too late what is, and what is not, in the fine print.
Oct. 19, 2011 | The Fine Print
Worried about property values, and landowners signing leases giving companies the rights to drill on their lands without clearance, lenders are reinforcing restrictions.
Aug. 3, 2011 | Evidence Surfaces
Industry executives as well as regulators have said that fracking has never contaminated underground drinking water. But there is at least one documented case.
June 27, 2011 | Widespread Skepticism
Energy companies have worked hard to promote natural gas as the fossil fuel of tomorrow, and they have found reliable allies in Washington. But not everyone agrees.
June 26, 2011 | Natural Gas Investments
As investment floods into shale wells, concerns about their productivity are spurring talk of a bubble.
March 4, 2011 | An Agency's Limits
Amid pressure from the industry and Congress, federal regulators are divided over the scope of their powers, leading to limited enforcement and narrowed research.
March 2, 2011 | An Imperfect Solution
Though it has helped the natural gas industry reduce its wastewater, recycling has not eliminated all the hazards.
An interactive graphic of waste disposal and other hazards in drilling for natural gas.
February 27, 2011 | The Waste Problem
A method to extract more natural gas often produces wastewater laced with toxic substances.
A method to extract more natural gas often produces wastewater laced with toxic substances.
An interactive graphic looking at the process and hazards of hydraulic fracturing.
Annotated Documents
Over the past nine months, The Times reviewed more than 30,000 pages of documents obtained through open records requests of state and federal agencies and by visiting various regional offices that oversee drilling in Pennsylvania.
The most significant documents on wastewater recycling, with annotations from The Times.
In 2010, Congress urged the Environmental Protection Agency to study the environmental impacts of hydrofracking. The study’s findings may lead to changes to federal regulation of the industry.
Leaked industry e-mails and reports show growing concerns about a shale gas bubble.
Hundreds of industry e-mails, internal agency documents and reports by analysts show disagreement among government officials and public cheering despite private doubts.
Questions have emerged from bankers, credit union officials, insurers, real estate experts and appraisers about the potential impacts that oil and gas leases on residential and farm mortgages.
The Times reviewed several thousand pages of documents related to natural gas extraction, focusing on a case where hydraulic fracturing is believed to have contaminated a family’s water well.
The Times collected over 110,000 oil and gas leases and related documentation through open records requests sent about hydraulic fracturing and land leases in more than six dozen counties in which the practice is common.