Since the release of the film documentary GASSLAND, by Josh Fox, the term fracking has become widely known. Yet the process of fracking, or, hydraulic fracturing, has been used since 1947 to extract natural gas and oil from deep, rock encased reservoirs of these "fossil fuels". And at the forefront of the use of this technology was none other than Halliburton.
With the discovery of vast deposits of natural gas throughout the United States, especially in the Marcellus Shale that extends throughout much of the Appalachian Basin, fracking has entered a boom stage. Touted as the panacea of America's energy crisis, the Marcellus Shale natural gas deposits have become the focal point in a battle between the energy industry, which wants to proceed full bore ahead with fracking, and environmentalist, who insist that the dangers of fracking outweigh its benefits.
And as is usually the case, when it comes to peoples safety money wins out every time...
Though the image of people igniting water coming out of their kitchen faucets has been seared into our consciousness as the main problem resulting from fracking, contamination of drinking water by natural gas can and does occur naturally. However, the chemicals used in the fracking process are far more dangerous than methane. These chemicals include known biocides, carcinogins and endocrine disruptors. One would conclude that ensuring these chemicals did not get into well water would be a primary concern of both the energy industry and its regulators. Instead, in 2005 Congress passed, as part of the Bush/Cheney Energy Bill, the so-called Halliburton Loophole, which exempted natural gas drilling from the Safe Drinking Water Act, and also exempted companies from disclosing the chemicals used during hydraulic fracturing.
In reaching the decision to issue these exemptions, Congress relied on a 2004 EPA Study in which the EPA claimed that it could not document a proven case of contamination caused by fracking. Except, the EPA did have at least one proven case in 2004, and this case was documented in a 1987 EPA report. Worse yet, the contamination in this report was first discovered in 1984. But it was not the EPA that discovered this "forgotten" report. Credit belongs to the Environmental Working Group which has been active in informing both the public and government of the dangers of fracking.
With this one report, EWG has blown a hole through the argument proffered by both the energy industry and government that there has not been a proven case of contamination caused by fracking. Whether or not this revelation will lead to meaningful regulation of this practice remains to be seen. After all, there is big money to be made by the energy industry by fracking the Marcellus and other natural gas deposits. And when it comes to peoples safety, money wins out every time.