By Amy Mall
February 19th, 2026
The U.S. oil and gas production sector has boomed over the past 20 years, with 30 percent more wells in production in 2020 than in 2000, making us the world’s largest fossil fuel producer—with expansion likely to continue in the near future. This dirty industry brings a host of significant harmful environmental and public health impacts to local communities. With a federal administration that is reversing scant federal oil and gas restrictions and abandoning environmental protection, state regulation and enforcement are more important than ever.
A new NRDC report analyzes state regulations in the top 12 oil- and gas-producing states over the past 15 years to determine whether these states are appropriately protecting communities from the harms of oil and gas extraction. Ultimately, our report reveals that no state is doing everything it can to protect its residents; states that are leaders in certain categories remain laggards in others.
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