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New analysis in the journal Environmental Science & Technology finds that 2 to 16 percent of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells across Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania spill hydrocarbons, chemical-laden water, hydraulic fracturing fluids and other substances each year. It examines state-level spill data to characterize spills associated with unconventional oil and gas development at 31,481 wells hydraulically fractured or "fracked" in the four states between 2005 and 2014, identifying 6,648 spills in the 10-year period. Authors conclude that making state spill data more uniform and accessible could provide stakeholders with important information on where to target efforts for locating and preventing future spills. However, reporting requirements differ across states, requiring considerable effort to make the data usable for analysis.

Each year, 2 to 16 percent of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells spill hydrocarbons, chemical-laden water, hydraulic fracturing fluids and other substances, according to a new study.The analysis, which appears Feb. 21 in Environmental Science & Technology, identified 6,648 spills reported across Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania during a 10-year period. "This study provides important insights into the frequency, volume, and cause of spills," said Lauren Patterson, policy associate at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and the study's lead author.

Up to 16% of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells spill liquids every year, according to new research from U.S. scientists BBC News reports. The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions led study published in Environmental Science & Technology, found that there had been 6,600 releases from these fracked wells over a ten-year period in four states.

A new study investigating spills from hydraulically fractured oil and gas uncovered 6,648 spills in just four states over a ten-year period. Part of the SNAP Partnership, the study examined data from Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania. Significant differences in reporting requirements across states made this analysis difficult, according to a report by ResearchGate.

If there's an enduring upside to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's doomed Clean Power Plan, ClimateWire reports, it's that it spurred some much-needed discussions about energy on the state level. "There really was not much going on in terms of coordination and dialogue between energy and environmental regulators at the state level before all this," said Brian Murray, director of the Environmental Economics Program at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. But since the Clean Power Plan was proposed in 2014, Murray said, there has been an "improved understanding of how the power sector works by environmental regulators."

A recent study by Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Public Solutions analyzed the spill data; the Science for Nature and People Partnership mapped the incidents, the materials spilled and if it affected the water, reports Progressive Pulse. But according to Duke University researcher Lauren Patterson, inconsistencies in state reporting requirements make it difficult to pinpoint the number of spills and amount of gallons involved. For example, North Dakota requires spills of 42 gallons or more to be reported, the study found. That could explain why that state had the greatest number of spills. Meanwhile, the reporting threshold was higher in Colorado and New Mexico: 210 gallons.

In a new study, researchers tallied spills at hydraulic fracturing sites between 2005 and 2014 in Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania, reports UPI. Researchers surveyed state records of incidents at 31,481 fracking wells. According to their work, the decade yielded 6,648 spills in just four states. "State spill data holds great promise for risk identification and mitigation," Lauren Patterson, policy researcher at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, explained in a news release. "However, reporting requirements differ across states, requiring considerable effort to make the data usable for analysis."

The Energy Initiative provides funding to student groups seeking to advance energy education, research and engagement at Duke. This school year saw the emergence of a new energy club connected with the Pratt School of Engineering's Master of Engineering Management Program (MEMP). Catch the highlights in their report.

Brian Murray will serve for a second year as Interim Director of the Duke University Energy Initiative in 2017. As in 2016, Murray will retain a half-time appointment with the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, where he is the Director of the Environmental Economics Program. The search for a full-time permanent Director of the Energy Initiative will launch in the spring, with a target appointment date of January 1, 2018. 

At the Norwegian Esri User Conference, Grid-Arendal’s Levi Westerveld and the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions’ Linwood Pendleton and partners were awarded the Most Creative Map Award for "Endangered Reefs, Threatened People," a story map that explains human dependence on coral reefs and the threats these reefs are facing from climate change and ocean acidification.