Surprise delay in major US EPA fracking study by John Yeld, July 8, 2013, iolscitech
A major US study on the possible impacts of fracking on drinking water resources is under way, but has been unexpectedly delayed by two years. Because of the massive, and growing, extent of fracking operations in the US, the statutory Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was asked to investigate by the US Congress. The study started in November 2011, and the agency sprung a surprise last month when it announced that its draft final report, initially due for release in 2014 for public comment and peer review, would be delayed by two years to 2016. In a progress report in December, the agency said it had identified more than one thousand chemicals reportedly used in hydraulic fracturing fluids from 2005 to 2011, and found in flowback and produced water. [Emphasis added]
[Refer also to:
Water Contamination from Fracking: Jessica Ernst Releases Groundbreaking Report by Damien Gillis, The Common Sense Canadian
Contamination of North America’s Groundwater from Fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing) Revealed in a New Case History Catalogue Press Release by BC Tap Water Alliance, June 16, 2013
Brief review of threats to Canada’s groundwater from the oil and gas industry’s methane migration and hydraulic fracturing Released June 16, 2013
On June 18, 2013, US EPA suddenly delays fracking study on risks to groundwater two years until 2016 ]