Is gas drilling via hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, really ruining the air, polluting water and making people sick? The evidence is sketchy and inconclusive, but a lack of serious funding is delaying efforts to resolve those pressing questions and creating a vacuum that could lead to a crush of lawsuits, some experts say. A House committee in June turned down an Obama administration request to fund $4.25 million in research on how drilling may affect water quality. States, meanwhile, have been slow to fund their own research. Environmentalists claim the fluids associated with drilling could rise and pollute shallow drinking water aquifers, and that methane leaks cause serious air pollution. The industry and many government officials say the practice is safe when done properly, and many communities welcome the jobs and the royalty payments landowners receive. But there have also been cases in which faulty wells have been proven to have polluted water. Scientists, residents and even some energy companies agree on one thing: Without credible answers, the fears and lawsuits over possible public health and environmental impacts are likely to grow. Disputes over possible effects on drinking water have already led to lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Texas and other states. For more on the private and public efforts to fund research on fracking, on what studies completed thus far show, and on details of related lawsuits, read the full story here.
Today’s poll question: Do you believe hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is causing significant pollution or public health problems?
