EPA report sparks debate over drilling for shale gas
EPA report sparks debate over drilling for shale gas
An EPA report has become the latest potential roadblock for energy companies seeking to exploit the Marcellus Shale formation, further amplifying the debate over the safety of drilling for shale gas.
State officials argue that drilling in the specific areas outlined by the EPA report may contain enough natural gas to satisfy U.S. demand for more than a decade. Despite this, Last week, New York City asked the state to ban shale gas drilling in the city's watershed.
At issue is the controversial process of shale gas extraction known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking". Fracking, which is exempted from regulation under the U.S. Clean Water Act, is a process by which a combination of chemicals, sand and water are blasted through rock to free trapped gas.
The natural gas industry argues that drilling poses no risk to drinking water, saying the chemicals are injected through layers of steel and concrete thousands of feet below aquifers. But opponents argue that toxic fracking chemicals are contaminating drinking water, citing numerous reports of private wells near gas installations having water that is discolored, foul tasting, or even flammable because of methane that has escaped from drilling operations.
The EPA has allowed New York City to draw from an unfiltered watershed provided there are adequate protections, and officials have warned the city could be forced to build a $10 billion filtration system if drilling is allowed.
Last spring, the EPA conducted its first water tests in response to growing public concern over possible water contamination from gas drilling.
The tests, in Wyoming, found some private water wells were tainted with chemicals that may have come from gas drilling, but the agency did not reach a conclusion about the source of the contamination.
