Indiana Oil and Gas Update

Although Indiana is not necessarily in the forefront of major new oil and gas exploration, it enjoys robust oil and gas operations in its New Albany Shale and elsewhere. Between 250 and 300 wells are typically completed in Indiana each year.' Indiana's lawmakers have responded to public concern regarding the safety of hydraulic fracturing to increase gas production. In 2012, the Indiana Legislature required the Department of Natural Resources to address the public's need for additional information and transparency concerning the hydraulic fracturing process for oil and gas wells. Prior to that, in 2011, Indiana lawmakers enacted a comprehensive amendment to the state's Oil and Gas Act, which was followed by several "emergency" regulations from the Department of Natural Resources to implement the amendment.

Included in those emergency regulations were pro- visions relating to coal bed methane wells and coal seam protection, which were designed to preserve the state's coal resources in the face of consistent oil, gas, and methane production.