Basics of EPA Fracking Risk Report Changed Little, Critics Say

An Environmental Protection Agency report on hydraulic fracturing does not change the assessment of fracking risks to drinking water in any basic way, an oil and gas association executive said Dec. 13.

In a draft version of the report, the EPA said it found no “widespread, systemic” risks. In its final report, the agency said fracking “can impact drinking water resources under some circumstances.”

Neither summary statement, in either draft or final version, says pollution of drinking water is likely or widespread because of fracking, said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, an industry group. ...