EPA Fracking Report Leaves Out Contamination Stats
In a progress report released last month, the EPA failed to address water contamination frequency as a result of fracking.
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducts a study on the effects of natural gas drilling, there is concern that its recent progress report left out one important aspect of the controversy surrounding fracking: drinking water contamination.
The progress report, released last month, details the findings thus far of the congressionally mandated EPA study into fracking. The full report, which will be released next year, will not address the frequency at which drinking-water sources become contaminated, be it once in every 1 million wells or once in every 1,000 wells.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of shooting water, sand, and chemicals underground to release natural gas from shale. Many in the industry and government believe that this is a beneficial project if done safely and correctly. However, EPA failed to cite any research that may have been done into the question of drinking-water contamination.