Congressionally directed study will evaluate potential impacts on drinking water

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Nov. 3 its final research plan on hydraulic fracturing. At the request of Congress, EPA is working to better understand potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Natural gas plays a key role in our nation’s clean energy future, and the Obama administration is committed to ensuring that we continue to leverage this vital resource responsibly.

One researcher's conclusion that "natural gas pried from shale formations is dirtier than coal in the short term" and "comparable" in the long term will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, giving it more credence, Mike Soraghan reports for Greenwire.