The US Environmental Protection Agency last month quietly published a final report that evaluates the impact of hydraulic fracturing on underground drinking water sources.
The agency said no additional study is needed because the practice of injecting fluids into coal bed methane wells poses a minimal threat; a similar conclusion was made in a controversial August 2002 draft.
Environmentalists criticized EPA's draft and now-final report; it relied too much on industry-backed data, they said.
Peer reviews, process
EPA defended its latest findings, saying that in making its decision it reviewed more than 200 peer- reviewed publications, other research, and public comments.
Federal environmental officials interviewed 50 employees from state and local government agencies and communicated with about 40 citizens who voiced concern that CBM production impacted their local drinking-water wells.
"In its review of incidents of drinking-water well contamination believed to be associated with hydraulic fracturing, EPA found no confirmed cases that are linked to fracturing fluid injection into CBM wells or subsequent underground movement of fracturing fluids," the agency said June 21.
The presence of diesel fuel in some fluids made public health advocates especially nervous. Acknowledging those worries, three oil service companies on Dec. 15, 2003, signed a voluntary agreement with EPA to stop the practice (OGJ, Jan. 5, 2004, p. 29).
BJ Services Co., Halliburton Energy Services Inc., and Schlumberger Technology Corp.—which perform about 95% of the hydraulic fracturing in the US—said then they did not necessarily agree that hydraulic fracturing fluids containing diesel endangered underground drinking water. But they signed the agreement anyway because of ongoing public concern.
Industry lauded EPA's latest action. "This is a prime example of why it is so important to utilize sound science and ignore idle chatter from obstructionist groups," said Bob Gallagher, president of the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association, in a statement issued June 29 by the Western Business Roundtable.
Refinery monitoring
In other news, EPA's inspector general (IG) said June 22 the agency must improve the way it monitors refiners to confirm industry is meeting clean air and water rules.
The IG said it's important to keep careful track of emissions, given that 42 refineries are under court orders to fix lingering pollution problems. There are currently 145 operating oil refineries in the US that span 9 of EPA's 10 regions across 33 states.
The IG complained EPA is alarmingly unfocused and does not give industry adequate direction on how specific problems should be fixed.
EPA must give its IG a written response to the report within 90 days. Agency enforcement officials already contend that much of the report is inaccurate and that they in fact do closely watch emissions.
EPA designated the refinery industry as a national enforcement priority in 1996; refineries then had the highest inspection-to-enforcement ratio of the 29 industry sectors tracked by the agency.
