! injection’…!excludes…!the!underground!injection!of!fluids!or!propping!agents!(other!than!diesel! fuels)!pursuant!to!hydraulic!fracturing!operations!related!to!oil,!gas,!or!geothermal!production! activities.’”59!!As!can!be!seen!from!this!this!text,!however,!Congress!kept!hydraulic!fracturing! using!diesel!fuels!under!the!purview!of!the!Safe!Drinking!Water!Act.!!The!EPA!is!currently! undergoing!the!public!review!process!for!draft!guidance!that!it!has!released!on!the!use!of!diesel! in!hydraulic!fracturing.60!!Aside!from!hydraulic!fracturing,!the!Safe!Drinking!Water!Act!does! have!jurisdiction!over!the!injection!of!waste!substances!that!are!disposed!of!in!underground! injection!control!wells,!which!is!the!most!common!method!of!disposal,!particularly!of!liquid! wastes!from!shale!gas!extraction!operations.61( ! To!summarize,!the!Safe!Drinking!Water!Act!currently!regulates!two!aspects!of!shale!gas! development:!hydraulic!fracturing!only(when(diesel(fuels(are(used,!and!disposal!of!wastes!in! underground!injection!control!wells.! Clean&Air&Act& Until!recently,!the!Clean!Air!Act!has!exercised!minimal!control!over!oil!and!gas!drilling!as!most! wells!were!categorized!as!“minor!source”!sites!of!emissions!while!the!Clean!Air!Act!focuses!on! limiting!harmful!emissions!from!“major!source”!sites!of!emissions.!!There!are!a!number!of! recent!changes!in!how!the!EPA!is!conceiving!of!its!regulatory!mandate!in!relation!to!air! emissions!from!oil!and!gas!sites,!including!hydraulic!fracturing,!that!are!changing!how!the! agency!enforces!the!Clean!Air!Act.! ! In!September!of!2009,!an!EPA!official!circulated!a!memorandum!to!the!agency’s!Regional! Administrators!withdrawing!the!agency’s!standing!guidance!on!source!determinations!for!the! oil!and!gas!industry!and!encouraging!EPA!staff!to:! …rely!foremost!on!the!three!regulatory!criteria!for!identifying!emissions!activities!that! belong!to!the!same!"building,"!"structure,"!"facility,"!or!"installation."!These!are!(1)! whether!the!activities!are!under!the!control!of!the!same!person!(or!person!under! common!control);!(2)!whether!the!activities!are!located!on!one!or!more!contiguous!or! adjacent!properties;!and!(3)!whether!the!activities!belong!to!the!same!industrial! grouping.62!
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!Pub.!L.!No.!109\58!§!322.! !US!EPA,!“Permitting!Guidance!for!Oil!and!Gas!Hydraulic!Fracturing!Activities!Using!Diesel!Fuels!–!Draft:! Underground!Injection!Control!Program!Guidance!#84.”! 61 !42!U.S.C.!§!300h!(d)(1)!(2011).! 62 !“Memorandum!from!Gina!McCarthy,!Assistant!Administrator!to!Regional!Administrators,!Withdrawal! of!Source!Determinations!for!Oil!and!Gas!Industries.”! 60
Chapter!2!–!Federal!Regulations!
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