EPA to Launch Study Into Impact of Hydraulic Fracturing

Concerned about growing reports of water pollution from the use of hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from shale and rock, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will conduct a nationwide scientific study into the controversial practice. Hydraulic fracturing, which involves injecting water and chemicals underground at high pressure to fracture gas-bearing rock, initially began in Texas and the West, but has recently spread to parts of Pennsylvania and New York, which sit atop a major gas find known as the Marcellus Shale. A 2004 EPA study, conducted by the Bush administration, concluded that hydraulic fracturing did not pose a threat to drinking water, but that report has been widely criticized because the agency reached its conclusion without conducting any water tests. The 2004 report enabled the Bush administration to exempt hydraulic fracturing from the provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act. A recent study by New York City concluded that hydraulic fracturing posed a serious threat to the city’s upstate water supply. That report, and growing evidence of water contamination in drilling areas, have prompted the EPA to launch an extensive review.