Inside Energy

There are now over half a million oil and gas workers nationwide. And as the industry has grown, so have the number of fatalities. In 2013, 112 oil and gas workers died on the job. Today Inside Energy begins a series of stories we call DARK SIDE OF THE BOOM, using brand new data analysis to look at fatality rates in America’s oil and gas fields. In part 1, Prairie Public’s Emily Guerin explores the history of another hazardous industry: mining.

Oil And Gas Fatalities: How Dangerous Is Too Dangerous? by Inside Energy

There are now over half a million oil and gas workers nationwide. And as the industry has grown, so have the number of fatalities. In 2013, 112 oil and gas workers died on the job. Today Inside Energy begins a series of stories we call DARK SIDE OF THE BOOM, using brand new data analysis to look at fatality rates in America’s oil and gas fields. In part 1, Prairie Public’s Emily Guerin explores the history of another hazardous industry: mining.

Oil And Gas Fatalities: How Dangerous Is Too Dangerous? by Inside Energy

Oil and Gas Fatalities Down in 2013.WAV by Inside Energy

Communities in Colorado are engaged in a political battle with the state to get more local control over oil and gas drilling.

It’s a battle many thought was heading to the ballot this November--until a last minute compromise stopped this initiative effort in its tracks.

The democratic governor’s office declared the compromise a victory, but Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce says many on the environmental left are furious.

Oil and Gas Fatalities Down in 2013.WAV by Inside Energy

Communities in Colorado are engaged in a political battle with the state to get more local control over oil and gas drilling.

It’s a battle many thought was heading to the ballot this November--until a last minute compromise stopped this initiative effort in its tracks.

The democratic governor’s office declared the compromise a victory, but Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce says many on the environmental left are furious.

If you live right next to a drilling rig, or your kids go to school beside a fracking site, or your county is suddenly littered with well pads -- are there health risks?

That’s a question that’s been asked from Pennsylvania to North Dakota, from Colorado to Texas as more and more people find themselves and their towns in the midst of an unprecedented energy boom.

In this second part of a series on public health risks, Inside Energy reporters Jordan Wirfs-Brock and Leigh Paterson clarify the confusion and describe a new scientific effort to help communities make informed decisions about this booming industry.

If you live right next to a drilling rig, or your kids go to school beside a fracking site, or your county is suddenly littered with well pads -- are there health risks?

That’s a question that’s been asked from Pennsylvania to North Dakota, from Colorado to Texas as more and more people find themselves and their towns in the midst of an unprecedented energy boom.

In this second part of a series on public health risks, Inside Energy reporters Jordan Wirfs-Brock and Leigh Paterson clarify the confusion and describe a new scientific effort to help communities make informed decisions about this booming industry.