Georgia Fracking Covered Under Groundwater Law if Drillers Come

Georgia will regulate hydraulic fracturing in advance of potential natural gas drilling under a new law that requires groundwater monitoring and disclosure of chemicals used in drilling.

The law requires the state’s environmental agency to draft rules to govern fracking by July 1, 2019. The state has no history of oil or natural gas production, but its northwest corner sits on a known natural gas reserve—the Conasauga Shale—where companies have drilled a few test wells and talked to landowners about buying mineral rights.

“That was kind of the initial drive” behind the legislation, said Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman ...