Safe Energy for America’s Future
Mark Green
Posted July 6, 2015
Fracking, With Care, Brings Big Benefits: Our View
USA Today (editorial) – Fracking — the practice of cracking open underground oil and gas formations with water, sand and chemicals — has rescued U.S. energy production from a dangerous decline. Any debate about banning it should take a hard look at what that would cost the nation and at facts that aren't always part of the discussion.
Those facts are spelled out in a recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency on fracking and groundwater. One of the harshest charges against fracking, often leveled with apocalyptic intensity by its foes, is that it indiscriminately contaminates vital drinking water supplies.
The EPA's timely report essentially said that's overblown.
The study identified many ways fracking could cause damage, but found little evidence that it had. Yes, there were instances of contaminated drinking water wells, but there was no evidence of "widespread, systemic" harm, and the number of problems that did occur "was small compared to the number of (fracked) wells."
Presuming no follow-up investigations change these findings, the report adds to the solid case that fracking should continue, with careful oversight, and that bans in Maryland, New York and other states are wrongheaded.
The EPA findings come as welcome news because it's hard to overstate the impact fracking has had on U.S. oil and gas production, which looked to be in irreversible decline in the 1980s. The decline raised fears that imports would soar, making the United States even more dependent than it already was on other nations.
Read more: http://usat.ly/1J0Q4cS
More industry news:
- Video – New Era Dominated by U.S. Shale Oil: Yergin: http://bloom.bg/1Th81eF
- Blog – Five Years of Keystone Success: http://exxonmobil.co/1LO95o9
- Crawling Robot Patrols Alaska Pipeline’s Formerly “Unpiggable” Pipes: http://bit.ly/1G3eHDD
- Opinion – New Ozone Limits Would Also Limit Jobs, Economic Growth: http://avlne.ws/1ChTOtp
- Analysis – The Great American Natural Gas Surge: http://onforb.es/1G3eel4
About The Author
Mark Green joined API after a career in newspaper journalism, including 16 years as national editorial writer for The Oklahoman in the paper’s Washington bureau. Previously, Mark was a reporter, copy editor and sports editor at an assortment of newspapers. He earned his journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and master’s in journalism and public affairs from American University. He and his wife Pamela have two grown children and six grandchildren.