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Audit Finds Problems With Oil & Gas Regulation In Michigan

Drill rig. File photo/Bob Allen.

A new audit says the state could be doing a better job of regulating oil and gas drilling in Michigan.  The Michigan Auditor General's report says almost 70 percent of wells currently producing oil and gas are not being inspected as frequently as the state had planned. Also, it says the department needs to better document and report environmental violations.

Brad Wurfel is with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). He says the inspection issue is based on high goals set by the department itself.

"The department could have set the numbers anywhere," said Wurfel. "We set them high, and we're going to keep them high. And we're going to do everything we can to meet those numbers all the time. But I think if anybody's got concern, they should probably take a look at the environmental record of this industry on the landscape, and the DEQ's record as a regulator of that industry."

But Hugh McDiarmid, with the Michigan Environmental Council, says the report is troubling, considering the state expects to see an increase in a controversial method of natural gas drilling known as "fracking."

"The question is, if our current regulations have some holes in them, how can we expect the department to adequately regulate this new and far more intensive wave of fracking that's apparently coming to Michigan?" McDiarmid asked.

The Department of Environmental Quality says it's already working to fix the issues raised in the audit report. It says the state has a stellar environmental record.