On April 17th, EPA issued new rules designed to reduce air emissions from oil & gas operations, including wells drilling using hydraulic fracturing ("fracking").  The new federal standards (New Source Performance Standards -NSPS) are seen as the first significant new federal regulation governing fracking. 

Some may wonder how gas wells generate air emissions.  When

Hydraulic fracking provides the opportunity to tap into massive natural gas reserves which is located deep beneath the earth.  In Ohio and Pennsylvania, Marcellus and Utica Shale is sedimentary rock which contains huge quantities of natural gas.

Hydraulic fracking uses water injected at high pressure to break up the rock allowing the gas to be released into wells.  The process uses