Lawmakers ask EPA to study hydraulic fracturing

Currently the Oil and Gas Industry is exempt from the following:


Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.


Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.


Safe Drinking Water Act.


Clean Air Act.


National Environmental Policy Act


Toxic Release Inventory under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act


Congress has asked the EPA to take another look at hydraulic fracturing. In 2004 the EPA gave their approval for hydraulic fracturing after they conducted a highly criticized study. This study was used to justify the "Hallibuton Loophole" back in 2005.

http://www.propublica.org/feature/congress-tells-epa-to-study-hydraulic-fracturing-hinchey-1110

The following paragraph should not come as a surprise.


The EPA gave hydraulic fracturing its stamp of approval in a 2004 report [1], but that study has been widely criticized as politically-motivated and scientifically unsound. After the report was released, veteran EPA scientist Weston Wilson wrote a letter [2] to Colorado representatives saying that "based on available science and literature, EPA’s conclusions are unsupportable." He also wrote that five out seven members of a panel that reviewed the findings had conflicts of interest and "may benefit from EPA’s decision not to conduct further investigation or impose regulatory conditions."


The report below goes into detail about the exemptions only the gas and oil industry are allowed.

http://www.earthworksaction.org/pubs/PetroleumExemptions1c.pdf

This is good news for many of us living in the Barnett Shale. Below are a few recent articles about gas drilling and water contamination. Help may be on the way!!!
http://stopthedrilling.blogspot.com/2009/11/gas-drilling-produced-waste-water.html

http://stopthedrilling.blogspot.com/2009/11/pennsylvania-landowner-says-he-has.html


http://stopthedrilling.blogspot.com/2009/11/natural-gas-drilling-toxic-threat-to.html