The states where fracking has been an issue have at times found themselves rushing to keep up with this growing industry by writing regulations as they go.  Introduced this month, Pennsylvania’s new set of rules will be closely watched by other states as they are put into effect.  It’s worth noting that Pennsylvania has been the rare state to increase investments in oversight during a period when most state governments are slashing their budgets.  But the result so far has still been one of inadequate supervision even in that state.  At the federal level, James L. Coleman, a research geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Eastern Center, concedes that there simply isn’t the manpower in his department to keep up with the pace of expansion.
     “I don’t know if we can get out there fast enough, with the speed of the drilling that appears to be taking place,” he tells PLANET in reference to his attempts at canvassing potential drilling locations to test for water quality before the fracking crews arrive.  “That’s why I encourage the local landowners to look after their own resources,” Coleman says, stressing the importance of having data about the preexisting conditions of any site for later comparison.  
     Individual responsibility is promoted also by Seamus McGraw, the author of The End of Country, published last summer, which chronicles his family’s decision to grant use of its property in Susquehanna County, PA for gas exploration.  McGraw, who says he didn’t know the difference between Marcellus Shale and Cassius Clay before his mother received a leasing offer, was pretty blunt in his words to PLANET about the need for average citizens to personally act as watchdogs: