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CORRECTING and REPLACING Independent Review Completed of Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mineral Resources Management Program Regulating Hydraulic Fracturing of Oil & Gas Wells

The corrected release reads:

INDEPENDENT REVIEW COMPLETED OF OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATING HYDRAULIC FRACTURING OF OIL & GAS WELLS

A targeted review of the Ohio program regulating the hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells has been completed by a multi-stakeholder group, which has concluded that the program is, over all, well-managed and also made recommendations for improvements in the program.

The review was conducted by a three-person team appointed by STRONGER, Inc., a non-profit organization that conducts voluntary state reviews of oil and natural gas environmental regulations. The review team, appointed in July 2010, consisted of three members and five observers representing environmental groups, state regulators, the oil and gas industry, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Fifteen additional people attended the review.

"The review team has concluded that the Ohio hydraulic fracturing program is, over all, well-managed, professional and meeting its program objectives," said Lori Wrotenbery, Director of the Oil and Gas Conservation Division of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, who served as chairman of the review team. "We believe several aspects of the Division of Mineral Resources Management and its operations merit special recognition."

The Ohio hydraulic fracturing regulatory program was singled out for its operations in the areas of comprehensive program assessment, planning, and use of stakeholder input that led to legislation that improved the program; reporting of comprehensive information regarding hydraulic fracturing operations with the well completion report; review of potential pathways of contamination; strong enforcement tools; increased staff levels; and use of the web site to disseminate information.

The review team has also made recommendations for improvements to the Division of Mineral Resources Management concerning pending rulemaking, chemical information availability, and evaluation of water withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing operations.

The review team members, in addition to Lori Wrotenbery, were Wilma Subra, an environmental scientist from Louisiana, and Jim Collins, a petroleum engineer representing the Independent Petroleum Association of America. Kari Matsko, Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project; Greg Russell, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP; David Neslin, Director, Colorado Oil and Gas Commission; Nancy Johnson, U.S. Department of Energy; and Dr. Robert Puls, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency participated as observers.

Copies of the Ohio Hydraulic Fracturing Review are available by contacting Michael Nickolaus by email at mnickolaus@gwpc.org, by phone at (405) 516-4972, or downloading from the STRONGER website at www.strongerinc.org.

About STRONGER

The name, STRONGER, is an acronym for State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations. STRONGER was formed in 1999 to reinvigorate and carry forward the state review process begun cooperatively in 1988 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC).

The mission of STRONGER is to educate and provide services for the continuous improvement of regulatory programs and industry practices in order to enhance human health and the environment. STRONGER is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization which shares innovative techniques and environmental protection strategies and identifies opportunities for program improvement. The state review process is a non-regulatory program and relies on states to volunteer for reviews."

Notes to Editors:

• The earliest drilling for petroleum in Ohio occurred in 1860
• Hydraulic fracturing has been a well completion practice since the 1950s
• According to DNR there have been no documented instances of hydraulic fracturing affecting groundwater in Ohio

STRONGER
Mike Nickolaus, 405-516-4972
mnickolaus@gwpc.org