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hydraulic fracturing

ProPublica: So, Is Dimock's Water Really Safe to Drink?

Posted Fri, 2012/03/23 - 10:58am by RCAP

by Abrahm Lustgarten ProPublica, March 20, 2012

March 21: This post has been corrected.

When the Environmental Protection Agency announced last week that tests showed the water is safe to drink in Dimock, Penn., a national hot spot for concerns about fracking, it seemed to vindicate the energy industry's insistence that drilling had not caused pollution in the area.

E&E Publishing: EPA looking for ways to 'manage or minimize' injection earthquakes

Posted Fri, 2012/03/23 - 10:54am by RCAP

In a March 15 report on its EnergyWire, E&E Publishing reports that "a team from U.S. EPA is preparing recommendations for 'managing or minimizing' earthquakes triggered by oil and gas waste injection wells.

...EPA has not publicized its efforts on earthquakes -- the technical term is 'induced seismicity' -- but it has discussed efforts with state officials, researchers and interest groups."

Read the full article

ProPublica: From Gung-Ho to Uh-Oh: Charting the Government’s Moves on Fracking

Posted Mon, 2012/02/13 - 12:32pm by RCAP

A Feb. 7 article begins:

"Fracking has only recently become a household word, but government involvement with the drilling technique goes back decades. President Obama has championed the potential of natural gas drilling combined with more regulation. While there has been mounting evidence of water contamination, few regulations have been implemented."

A graphic produced by ProPublica traces officials' moves -- and levels of caution -- over time.