Rural Community Assistance Partnership

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ProPublica: Feds link water contamination to fracking for the first time

Posted Mon, 2011/12/12 - 4:09pm by RCAP

by Abrahm Lustgarten and Nicholas Kusnetz ProPublica, Dec. 8, 2011, 8:18 p.m.

In a first, federal environment officials today scientifically linked underground water pollution with hydraulic fracturing, concluding that contaminants found in central Wyoming were likely caused by the gas drilling process.

The findings by the Environmental Protection Agency come partway through a separate national study by the agency to determine whether fracking presents a risk to water resources.

Former RCAP staffer: Minorities pay more for water and sewer, according to study

Posted Tue, 2011/12/06 - 1:45pm by RCAP

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Racial minorities pay systemically more for basic water and sewer services than white people, according to a study by Michigan State University researchers.

This “structural inequality” is not necessarily a product of racism, argues sociologist Stephen Gasteyer, but rather the result of whites fleeing urban areas and leaving minority residents to bear the costs of maintaining aging water and sewer infrastructure.

EPA Office of Water’s senior adviser blogs on tribal water perspectives and place-based knowledge

Posted Fri, 2011/12/02 - 10:18am by RCAP

 The Office of Water’s Senior Adviser, Ellen Gilinsky, posted a blog on her trip to the 2011 National Tribal Water Quality Conference near Santa Fe, N.M. In the post, Gilinsky shares her experience with the sessions and insights on people and place-based approaches to water protection. 

Read the post