lisasong

The biggest obstacle: Texas operators and regulators wouldn't grant us face-to-face interviews, and made us put most of our questions in writing. Being forced to put questions in writing is bad for journalism--it doesn't allow for give and take or the natural flow of conversation--something that's crucial for complex subjects like public health, science, regulations.

We made numerous requests with both individual oil/gas development companies as well as with organizations representing the industry in Texas for information. By and large we got no response. We asked for tours of oil/gas facilities so that we could understand the drilling/fracking/processing techniques in the field. All were declined. Only a few industry representatives agreed to phone interviews--most asked for questions in writing.

Definitely a sandwich. But I'm vegetarian, so don't trust my judgment. (We'll investigate the hamburger conundrum in our next project).

1) I don't think we can answer that until we have more monitoring and research--which is what scientists and public health officials have pushed for for years. But in the Eagle Ford, the state recorded ~300 complaints from local residents since Jan 2010 related to oil/gas development. And out of those complaints, regulators issued 164 notices of violation (as of Nov. 19).

2) We didn't look into earthquakes/wastewater injection.

The state controls drilling permits and air quality, but local jurisdictions have some control. It all depends on where you are. Dallas won't allow drilling within 1,500 feet of homes, schools, etc. Counties like Karnes, La Salle and McMullen in the Eagle Ford don't have those same protections.