Hydraulic fracturing involves the injecting of fluids -- often containing toxic chemicals -- into oil or gas wells at very high pressure. A loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act exempts hydraulic fracturing from regulation, despite the threat to drinking water supplies. Hydraulic fracturing has been linked to contaminated drinking water in communities around the country.
Posted May 24, 2013 by Frances Beinecke in Health and the Environment
With fracking already underway in 30 states and advancing at a breakneck speed, safeguards have not been adequate to protect communities, public health or the environment. I’ve seen the damage from the oil and gas industry’s unfettered advance firsthand. My...continued→
Posted May 22, 2013 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment
Tomorrow, I’m headed to the U.S. Senate for a forum on the environmental impacts of shale gas development before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. I’ll be joined by members of the oil and gas industry, as well as representatives...continued→
Posted May 21, 2013 by Kate Sinding in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment
Back in March, the New York State Assembly passed a two-year moratorium on all new fracking and required a comprehensive health impact assessment to be carried out. Now it’s time for Senate to act. Join NRDC and more that a...continued→
Posted May 21, 2013 by Daniel Raichel in Health and the Environment
Last Tuesday, the University of Michigan released a report highlighting growing local concerns about the risks of fracking in two states with two very different fracking-histories— Michigan, where there has been relatively little fracking, and Pennsylvania, where fracking growth has...continued→
Posted May 20, 2013 by Henry Henderson in Curbing Pollution
The fracking debate is heating up in Illinois—as it needs to since it is becoming abundantly clear that fracking may have begun in this state. With almost no laws in place to protect the public from the known—and very scary—dangers...continued→
Posted May 17, 2013 by Frances Beinecke in Health and the Environment
When I talk to people who live near fracking operations, they often ask me the same question: “What is this doing to my drinking water?” Homeowners have shown me jugs of water from their kitchen sinks that look like rusty...continued→
Posted May 16, 2013 by Briana Mordick in Health and the Environment, Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
With the release of its revised draft rules for hydraulic fracturing, BLM signaled to industry that it’s business-as-usual when it comes to oil and gas drilling and fracking on public lands. And it also signaled to the people who live,...continued→
Posted May 16, 2013 by Matthew McFeeley in Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
This afternoon, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released new proposed rules to govern fracking on publicly owned lands managed by the federal government. This includes wild places like National Forests and National Wildlife Refuges. But it also includes...continued→
Posted May 16, 2013 by Briana Mordick in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment
Welcome to the first in a series of blogs that will attempt to separate science from fiction on subjects including hydraulic fracturing, oil and gas production, geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide, and more. Hydraulic fracturing, a practice used in the...continued→
Posted May 15, 2013 by Amy Mall in Health and the Environment, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
It’s rumored that the BLM is about to release the next draft of its proposal for fracking guidelines for public lands. We’ve been blogging about all the significant failures with the first draft, and why a strong rule is so...continued→
