HEI Energy Publishes Two Investigator Reports

The reports explore groundwater quality and potential contamination associated with oil and gas development.  Learn More!

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Publications

Hydrocarbon Extraction and Risk to Groundwater in Pennsylvania: Part 2. An Analysis of Water Quality in the Oldest Hydrocarbon Basin in the United States

Jennifer Baka
Susan L. Brantley
Tao Wen
Nathaniel Warner
Casey Pinto
Zachary Bitzer
et al.
2026
Research Report 233, Part 2
Energy
Water Quality

Research Report 233, Part 2, presents a study led by co-principal investigators Jennifer Baka and Susan L. Brantley (Pennsylvania State University) and their colleagues. Part 1 of the study, based on decade-old water quality data, identified elevated salts as a potential indicator of groundwater contamination related to unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD) in areas of Pennsylvania. It also documented community concerns about potential radiation exposures and water quality impacts from UOGD waste management. Part 2 provides more recent water quality data from surveys conducted in areas where evidence gathered in Part 1 suggested that groundwater may have been contaminated by UOGD.

Potential Groundwater Vulnerability to Spills Associated with Unconventional Oil and Gas Development Across the Marcellus Region

James E. Saiers
Mario Soriano Jr.
Joshua Warren
Reed Maxwell
Shuqi Lin
Yingcan Cathy Wang
et al.
2026
Research Report 243
Energy
Exposure Methods
Water Quality

This report presents a study led by James E. Saiers at Yale University with his co-principal investigators Mario Soriano Jr., Joshua Warren, and Reed Maxwell, and their colleagues. This study provides a modeling approach to estimate groundwater vulnerability of well water to potential contamination from spills associated with unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD) in the Marcellus region.

Long-Term Trends in Air Quality in Unconventional Oil and Gas Development Regions in the United States

Gunnar W. Schade
Detlev Helmig
Katherine Potter
Michel Stahli
Gabriel Greenberg
2026
Research Report 242
Air Pollution
Air Toxics
Nitrogen Oxides
Particulate Matter
Energy

This report presents a study led by Gunnar W. Schade (Texas A&M University) and Detlev Helmig (Boulder AIR). Schade, Helmig, and colleagues evaluated long-term air quality trends across unconventional oil and gas development regions in the United States, primarily in Texas (1997–2023) and Colorado (2008–2024).

Annual Report 2025

Health Effects Institute
2026
Annual Report 2025
Air Pollution

We’re pleased to share the Health Effects Institute’s 2025 Annual Report: Expanding Our Vision for a Healthier Environment. This year’s report highlights the many initiatives, research, and programs that helped make 2025 such a successful year. This success comes from our sponsors, board and committee members, researchers, partners, collaborators, staff, and others who work to help provide impartial science to inform decisions that foster a healthier environment for all.

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