The EPA's draft assessment was conducted at the request of Congress. "It is the most complete compilation of scientific data to date," says Burke, "including over 950 sources of information, published papers, numerous technical reports, information from stakeholders and peer-reviewed EPA scientific reports." [...]
The EPA study does identify some potential vulnerabilities to drinking water.
— npr.org
At this stage, the study is the "most complete compilation of scientific data to date," says Tom Burke, deputy assistant administrator of the EPA's Office of Research and Development. But as a "draft assessment", the study still needs to be reviewed by the Science Advisory Board, and be made open for public comment, before its findings are finalized.
Predictably, environmental groups are not pleased with the EPA's findings, as it corroborates what the American Petroleum Institute has insisted from the beginning: that fracking has always followed preexisting safety regulations. According to NPR, Food & Water Watch, which wants to ban fracking, said the report "has the industry's oil fingerprints all over it." While the EPA study finds no evidence of fracking having led to demonstrable cases of polluted drinking water, it does acknowledge that fracking can adversely affect drinking water – read the full report here.
Hydraulic fracturing, aka fracking, has led to economic booms in areas where oil and natural gas reserves are located deep underground – like in the Bakken region in North Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Such booms are precipitating economic developments in fracking towns like Williston, ND, whose 32,000 population is getting a $500 million "retail mecca".
4 Comments
The EPA is as corrupt as congress, the FDA, SEC, Federal Reserve, DoD ... oh, never mind.
they didn't find anything because they didn't test for anything right? they don't know what chemicals the oil companies use, and when they ask the oil companies what they use, they won't say, so tests can't be developed to identify the chemicals.
this study is only 'scientific' in kansas, where the koch brothers were able to buy the public education system
The study is not designed to test for "widespread" contamination from hydraulic fracturing, so that particular conclusion is noteworthy. The report has strange bedfellows but should be expected when you look at the type of data sources involved, i.e. drilling and water supply permits. On the other hand, there is very little evidence that fracking has lead to groundwater supply pollution but little monitoring or designed tests have been performed to prove or verify this finding.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/05062015/fracking-has-contaminated-drinking-water-epa-now-concludes
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.