Oil & gas industry agrees to — non-binding — fracking standards

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The oil & gas industry and environmental groups are kind of not friends. But even not-friends can agree on some things, evidently.

Energy companies and environmental groups, including Chevron and Consol Energy in the first group and the Environmental Defense Fund and Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) in the second, have come together to form the Center for Sustainable Shale Development. Unfortunately, the new center doesn’t explain how its own name is possible.

But the Center for Sustainable Shale Development has released a list of 15 “initial performance standards” that all fracking wells — “in the Appalachian Basin” — will be expected to meet. The group doesn’t give a deadline when these standards will be enforced, but does suggest that the center will give certification to wells that meet the standards. The standards are not legally binding.

See the story at Grist and the list of areas addressed by the standards here (PDF).