The U.S. EPA recently issued its full report on the risks of fracking. It's a report that was changed at the last minute, which has drawn criticism from environmental activists. Tim Rudell of member station WKSU in Kent has more on what the study mandated by Congress six years ago did and did not say.
It did not settle the question of whether fracking does or does not pose a threat to drinking water. The Agency’s summary cites too many gaps in available data to reach a definitive conclusion.
Paul Feezel is with Concerned Citizens of Carroll County. Carroll is one of the most ‘fracked’ counties in Ohio; and an estimated ninety-five percent of its water for drinking and farming comes from ground and surface water sources.
“This report kind of highlights again that: here we are, years into this boom, and at the same time that drilling increases we still have lots of unanswered questions about how we ensure safety, or what to even look for.”
The EPA summary did list potentially risky practices that state and local regulators should watch for when monitoring fracking.
