A legislative audit documented serious deficiencies with Utah's oil and gas program, including a systematic failure to impose fines or otherwise resolve incidences of noncompliance with environmental and safety standards.
Potentially dangerous situations could have been prevented at two unnamed waste-disposal facilities had the program, run by the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (DOGM), exercised adequate oversight, according to the audit, released Tuesday to the state Legislative Audit Subcommittee.
An arm of the Department of Natural Resources, DOGM regulates oil and gas exploration and production in Utah, processing drilling permits and inspecting wells. A key part of its mission is to "maintain sound, regulatory oversight to ensure environmentally acceptable activities.