Department of Energy: Fracking Chemicals didn't taint water (7/20/13)
Someone posted an article from 2011 claiming it was new news, so just thought I would post an article on a more recent document from the Department of Energy, released just 5 days ago:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=203504050
Some highlights:
Drilling fluids tagged with unique markers were injected more than 8,000 feet below the surface at the gas well bore but weren't detected in a monitoring zone at a depth of 5,000 feet. The researchers also tracked the maximum extent of the man-made fractures, and all were at least 6,000 feet below the surface.
That means the potentially dangerous substances stayed about a mile away from surface drinking water supplies, which are usually at depths of less than 500 feet.
"This is good news," said Duke University scientist Rob Jackson, who was not involved with the study. He called it a "useful and important approach" to monitoring fracking, but he cautioned that the single study doesn't prove that fracking can't pollute, since geology and industry practices vary widely in Pennsylvania and across the nation.
Scott Anderson, a drilling expert with the Environment Defense Fund, said the results sound very interesting.
"Very few people think that fracking at significant depths routinely leads to water contamination. But the jury is still out on what the odds are that this might happen in special situations," Anderson said.
Here is another great article by the Washington Post on the same study:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/21/frackings-safety-gets- boost-from-federal-research/
Clearly not the result Josh Fox and his very small group of supporters were hoping for
Looks like soon we will have to lump Fox in with the Holocaust Deniers, Moon Landing Hoaxers, and 9/11 Truthers who absolutely refuse to look at facts and believe the entire world is hiding something. share