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.

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