EPA notes fracking’s risks but says it hasn’t caused widespread contamination
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028934
New York Times : A draft of a report on hydraulic fracturing requested by Congress in 2010 has been released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process in which a mixture of chemicals is injected into the ground to extract oil and gas. The report says that the process has the potential to contaminate local water supplies and identifies several instances in which such contamination has occurred. But it also says that the number of cases of contamination is small compared to the number of fracked wells. The EPA’s report is based on its evaluation of more than 3500 reports, studies, and data sources as well as its own new research that produced more than a score of published papers.