The Elder Statement : Fracking

Showing posts with label Fracking. Show all posts

Friday, June 5, 2015

Uh, oh, now what?!?

EPA: Fracking Not Causing Major Harm To Drinking Water

By Timothy Cama, Jun. 4, 2015, The Hill

Hydraulic fracturing has not caused any major harm to drinking water supplies, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded Thursday.

In what the EPA is calling the most comprehensive examination of existing data and science on the impact the controversial oil and natural gas drilling technique has on drinking water, it largely debunked concerns about extensive contamination of well water or other sources.

And while the draft report released Thursday is largely a win for industry, which has said for years that fracking is completely safe, the EPA recognized some “potential vulnerabilities in the water lifecycle that could impact drinking water.”

“EPA’s draft assessment will give state regulators, tribes and local communities and industry around the country a critical resource to identify how best to protect public health and their drinking water resources,” Thomas A. Burke, an EPA science adviser and top official in its research office, said in a statement.

“It is the most complete compilation of scientific data to date, including over 950 sources of information, published papers, numerous technical reports, information from stakeholders and peer-reviewed EPA scientific reports,” he said.

Read the full story: www.thehill.com

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Sunday, August 31, 2014

Opponents will demand more studies

elderstatement.com August 31, 2014 Fracking , Oil & Gas Exploration 0 Comments

Fracking Report Clears Way For Calif Oil, Gas Leasing To Resume

By Julie Cart, Aug. 28, 2014, Latimes.com

The federal government will resume oil and gas leasing in California following a report released Thursday that found little scientific evidence that fracking and similar extraction techniques are dangerous.

The Bureau of Land Management said the report — and additional environmental reviews — will allow it to begin leasing on public land next year. The announcement is welcome news for energy companies that have been shut out of the oil-rich San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast.

But critics, including environmental organizations whose lawsuits led to a judge's order to halt leasing last year, said the analysis was rushed by the BLM and relied on spotty information.

The Inglewood Oil Field in Culver City is the nation's largest urban oil field. A new report has found no scientific evidence that fracking is harmful to the environment, but the authors say they had little information on which to base conclusions. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The study was conducted by the California Council on Science and Technology, a nonpartisan scientific research organization established by the state Legislature to advise state officials. Its authors noted that they had little time and scant information on which to base conclusions, citing widespread "data gaps" and inadequate scientific resources for a more thorough study.

For example, the report found no evidence of water contamination from fracking in California, but the scientist directing the research, Jane Long, said researchers also had no data on the quality of water near fracking sites.

"We can only tell you what the data we could get says," said Long, a former director at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "We can't tell you what we don't know."

Read the full story: www.latimes.com

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