EPA Says Fracking May be to Blame for Pollutionby The Associated
Press announced Thursday for the first time that fracking - a
controversial method of improving the productivity of oil and
gas wells - may be to blame for causing groundwater pollution.
The draft finding could have a chilling effect in states trying
to determine how to regulate the process. The practice is called
hydraulic fracturing and involves pumping pressurized water,
sand and chemicals underground to open fissures and improve the
flow of oil or gas to the surface. The EPA's found that
compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals had been
detected in the groundwater beneath a Wyoming community where
residents say their well water reeks of chemicals. Health
officials advised them not to drink their water after the EPA
found hydrocarbons in their wells. The EPA announcement has
major implications for the vast increase in gas drilling in the
U.S. in recent years. Fracking has played a large role in
opening up many reserves. The industr