Fracking: No 'Widespread' Effects to Drinking Water
In a report released on Thursday, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency stated there is no evidence hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, leads to "widespread" systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the U.S.
Fracking, is a process that involves pumping high volumes of water, sand, and chemicals into a well to extract oil and gas.
The EPA has responded to growing concerns about the potential impact to human health and the environment, including potential effects on the quality and quantity of drinking water.
"After more than five years and millions of dollars, the evidence gathered by EPA confirms what the agency has already acknowledged and what the oil and gas industry has known: hydraulic fracturing is being done safely under the strong environmental stewardship of state regulators and industry-best practices," said Erik Milito, upstream group director of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry's top lobbying group.
However many are not convinced it is a safe practice. Most of the concern comes from environmentalist and residents who live on the land where the process takes place.
Maile Bush and her family live just a few hundred feet from a well in Denton, Texas, that was hydraulically fractured. " The fracking sand's a very, very fine silica sand. It blows all over everything, she told CBN News. "It was all over kids' toys in the backyard. And it's a carcinogen.
Others like Denton resident, Bobby Jones, are not convinced that fracking negatively impacts health. "I haven't seen any real proof that it's harmed any health," he said in an interview with CBN News.
The goal of the study, according to EPA leaders, was never to determine whether fracking is safe, but what could be done to protect drinking water and reduce fracking risks.
"It's not a question of safe or unsafe," Tom Burke, deputy assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Research and Development told reporters in a conference call.
Burke went on to say, "How do we best reduce vulnerabilities so we can best protect our water and water resources?"
The study did not examine effects on air quality, or public health at large.
