Success: EPA Acknowledges Fracking Can Cause Water Contamination

Target: Regina McCarthy, Administrator of the EPA 

Goal: Applaud the release of a study that acknowledges the link between fracking and water contamination.

The EPA has released a report acknowledging that hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, can cause water contamination. This is a reversal of opinion compared to a previous EPA report, which concluded, despite no supporting evidence, that fracking had no widespread systemic impacts on drinking water. This reversal comes after outcry from a number of environmental groups, residents of communities affected by water contamination, and even pressure from the ForceChange community with this ForceChange petition.

The oil and gas industry seized on the EPA’s previous study to push for less regulation and an expansion of fracking throughout the United States. Critically, this new report finds that there is a risk of water contamination at every stage of the fracking process.

Given that the oil and gas industry in the U.S. uses fracking to produce an estimated 50 percent of oil and 70 percent of gas, it is critical that the public has access to unbiased information. Sign our petition and applaud the EPA for acknowledging the potential environmental impacts of fracking.  

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Administrator McCarthy,

I was pleased to hear that the EPA has withdrawn claims that fracking does not cause widespread water contamination. As you must know, the oil and gas industry use hydraulic fracturing in 50 percent of domestic oil production and 70 percent of gas production. Due to this report claiming that the hydraulic fracturing process may lead to water contamination, the EPA now must establish emergency practices when responding to fracking-related water contamination.

Given the explosive growth of this extraction method, it is critical that the public has access to the facts about fracking, particularly when potential impacts affect drinking water, homes and citizens’ livelihoods. Thank you for publishing this critical report with the facts about fracking and its true impacts on drinking water.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: SustainUS