Is Your Drinking water Safe?
Oil and Gas Fracturing
Enormous quantities of natural gas are trapped deep beneath the surface of the earth. Because natural gas plays a significant role in the nation’s clean energy future, drilling companies across the country have turned to a technology called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” to release the untapped gas.
Over the last few years, developments have spurred an increased use of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas extraction. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), shale gas will account for more than 20 percent of the nation’s total gas supply by 2020.
How Hydraulic Fracturing Works
Hydraulic fracturing involves the fracturing of solid rock formations by injecting water, chemical additives and sand at high pressures into the formations. As the pressure causes the formation to break and crack, pathways for the gas to escape are created. The sand settles in the cracks to keep the pathways open, allowing the gas to escape into wells.
Environmentalists Raise Safety Concerns
Environmentalists and residents that live near the wells have been complaining that the chemicals used in fracking treatments are contaminating local water supplies. Critics are demanding tougher regulations.
Congress excluded the process of hydraulic fracturing from the regulations set forth by the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2005. The exclusion was based on a study conducted by the EPA in 2004. The same critics argue that the results of the study were politically motivated.
Drilling companies are currently not required to disclose the chemical formulas they use in fracking treatments. In response to public safety concerns, the EPA will be conducting a new scientific study to evaluate the effects on drinking water and public health.
To prepare for the study, the agency requested a list of the chemicals used by nine drilling companies. The agency expects to have initial results by the end of 2012.
Has You Water Been Contaminated?
If you believe your water has been contaminated by the drilling practices, contact a water pollution attorney for help. Illnesses that might be linked to chemical exposure include cancer, reproductive problems, respiratory disease and more.
