New York’s 22nd District should be proud of their congressman, Maurice Hinchey. He’s got a clear handle on the issues, and has submitted a nice set of comments to the NY Department of Environmental Conservation on their evaluation of permitting needs for drilling in the Marcellus shale in NY.
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So, the 2004 EPA report says that, in the final analysis, people should not have concerns because there’s a UIC program serving as a backstop to prevent contamination of drinking water. Congress, believing there’s no cause for concern, eliminated the backstop which in fact had been put forward by EPA as a major reason why there was no cause for concern.
This is not only circuitous, it is like a snake biting its own tail. It’s important to recognize what has transpired here, and to make sure that the snake is a harmless garden snake, and get its tail out of its mouth.
The mining practice called fracking is coming under new scrutiny by the EPA.
A just-passed Interior Department spending bill includes a provision that encourages the agency to study whether fracking is polluting groundwater. Fracking – short for hydraulic fracturing – has made it easier for companies to drill for natural gas in energy-rich states like Colorado.
A similar study during the Bush Administration concluded there was no threat to groundwater. But that was widely criticized by environmentalists and some members of Congress who said the government's analysis was based primarily on input from Halliburton and other energy companies.