Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report linking
hydraulic fracturing for natural gas to groundwater contamination for the first
time puts pressure on the agency to move sooner on efforts to regulate
drilling.
The Dec. 8 report that chemicals consistent with those used in
drilling were found in groundwater samples in west-central Wyoming may be used
by the agency to accelerate action, according to Ken von Schaumburg, a
Washington-based attorney and former EPA deputy general counsel. The EPA is
weighing three rules on fracturing, or fracking, the first of which is planned
for April.
Environmental groups say fracking, in which millions of gallons
of chemically treated water are forced underground to shatter rock and let gas
flow, is a threat to drinking-water supplies. The EPA’s draft report on
groundwater contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming, about 230 miles (370
kilometers) northeast of Salt Lake City, is the first to blame the drilling
technique for spoiling water.
Bloomberg Business Week
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