THE CASE AGAINST HYDROFRACKING - Hydrofracking: What Everyone Needs to Know - page 54

In the United States, hydrofracking is suspected in at least 36 cases of ground-
water contamination, and in several cases EPA has determined that it was the likely
source of pollution. 15
A report by the Ground Water Protection Council found that only 4 of the 31
drilling states it surveyed have regulations that address fracturing, and that no state
requires companies to track the volume of chemicals left underground. 16 One in
five states doesn't require that the concrete casing used in wells be tested before
hydrofracking begins. And more than half the states allow waste pits filled with
fluids to intersect with the water table, even though the pits have allegedly caused
water contamination.
Drillers have developed methods to reduce spills and seepage of chemicals, but
are usually left to implement them on their own. The result is that protections at
drilling sites just a few miles apart can be completely different.
In a 2011 conference call with reporters, Richard Ranger, an American Petro-
leum Institute senior policy adviser and frequent commentator on hydrofracking,
said: “The issue of where do these fracking fluids go, the answer is based on the
geology being drilled.… You've got them trapped somewhere thousands of feet be-
low with the only pathway out being the wellbore. I'm just not sure that that study
is out there.” 17 Aside from the startling admission that the industry doesn't know
where fracking fluids end up, Ranger added that there is no way to conclusively
determine whether hydrofracking is safe or unsafe.
Following up on this question, the independent online newsroom ProPublica
queried over 40 academic experts, scientists, industry officials, and federal and
state regulators. None of them could provide a definitive answer. 18
How Well Regulated Is Groundwater?
Despite assurances from those in favor of fracking that there are no proven cases
of affected water, numerous cases of suspected groundwater contamination have
been documented, and science writer Valerie Brown, for one, predicts that “public
exposure to the many chemicals involved in energy development is expected to in-
crease over the next few years, with uncertain consequences.” 19
In December 2011 the Environmental Protection Agency released its first thor-
ough study of groundwater pollution with a draft report on the drinking water in
Pavillion, Wyoming, which contained “compounds likely associated with … hy-