Alaska’s oil and gas regulatory commission has adopted new, more stringent rules governing hydraulic fracturing that include increased testing of water wells for contamination, its chairman said Wednesday in an interview. Final regulations are now being reviewed by state attorneys and still must be signed by Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell. The rules will require testing of all water wells within a half-mile radius of a well to be fractured, and will mandate testing of the water wells for contamination after the fracture job is completed, said Cathy Foerster, chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, or AOGCC. In some cases, testing of water wells prior to the fracturing may be required at the discretion of the commission, Foerster said. Article continues below… Request a free trial of: Gas Daily Gas Daily offers the most detailed coverage of natural gas prices at interstate […]