Reducing the Shale Gas Footprint Through the Center for Sustainable Shale Development: A Good Start, But No Substitute for Tight Federal and State Regulation

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) has endorsed a set of fifteen water and air protection standards developed with shale gas producers in the Marcellus region, to be overseen by the Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD). These standards include a ban on discharging fracking water to surface waters, a 90% water recycling requirement, and zero gas discharge to the air for wells in production. While CATF views these as the toughest standards globally, it maintains that voluntary industry agreements are not a substitute for government regulation and advocates for federal mandates on carbon capture and storage for natural gas power production.

• The Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD) will oversee the implementation of fifteen water and air protection standards, which include a 90% water recycling requirement, a complete ban on discharging fracking water to surface waters unless safe standards are developed, and a requirement for closed-loop drilling fluid.
• Air quality standards under the CSSD framework require zero gas discharge to the air for wells in production, with gas diverted to pipelines; where pipelines are unavailable, flaring is limited in time and must meet high efficiency standards. Additionally, tight emission standards apply to diesel engines used in drilling equipment and servicing trucks.
• The CSSD's governance structure includes a Board of Directors with two-thirds representation from non-industry parties and environmental groups, with performance auditing conducted by independent third-party firms.
• CATF argues that voluntary industry standards are not a substitute for state and federal regulation and suggests that the ability of major producers to agree to these terms undermines industry claims that such standards cannot be enforced at the federal level.

APA

Cohen, A. (2013). Reducing the Shale Gas Footprint Through the Center for Sustainable Shale Development: A Good Start, But No Substitute for Tight Federal and State Regulation. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2013/03/reducing-the-shale-gas-footprint-pa/

Chicago

Cohen, Armond. Reducing the Shale Gas Footprint Through the Center for Sustainable Shale Development: A Good Start, But No Substitute for Tight Federal and State Regulation. Clean Air Task Force, 2013. https://www.catf.us/2013/03/reducing-the-shale-gas-footprint-pa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Cohen |first1=Armond |title=Reducing the Shale Gas Footprint Through the Center for Sustainable Shale Development: A Good Start, But No Substitute for Tight Federal and State Regulation |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=22 March 2013 |url=https://www.catf.us/2013/03/reducing-the-shale-gas-footprint-pa/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cohen2013reducing, author = {Cohen, Armond}, title = {{Reducing the Shale Gas Footprint Through the Center for Sustainable Shale Development: A Good Start, But No Substitute for Tight Federal and State Regulation}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2013}, month = mar, url = {https://www.catf.us/2013/03/reducing-the-shale-gas-footprint-pa/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }