Yesterday, (and then again this morning) Marketplace reported that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) downplayed scientists’ concerns about the impact of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water in a draft assessment published in June 2015. Read more >
Science and the Politics of Fracking—and What’s Ahead
December 1, 2016 2:47 PM EDT
What’s Been Going On with the EPA’s Fracking Report?
March 10, 2016 11:40 AM EDT
During Sunday’s Democratic presidential debate in Flint, Michigan, Sarah Bellaire, a student at the University of Michigan at Dearborn, asked the candidates if they support fracking. Read more >
Is Fracking Safe Now? What the EPA’s Fracking and Drinking Water Study Really Says
June 5, 2015 11:01 AM EDT
Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its long-awaited (and heavily scrutinized) report on drinking water impacts from hydraulic fracturing. The report has made headlines, but anyone following the science around fracking impacts shouldn’t be surprised by the results—that hydraulic fracturing has had adverse effects on drinking water sources in several cases, and that risk for future contamination of drinking water exists through several pathways. Yet, yesterday’s headlines read very differently. Read more >
The Silent Killer: Extreme Heat in the Western U.S.
May 6, 2014 10:07 AM EDT
The National Climate Assessment (NCA) makes an important statement: the trends in heat waves for the western U.S. are alarmingly clear and pose a major threat for the local population. Heat waves are becoming more common and more severe in this region and their increase in frequency and severity is consistent with a warming world. Read more >
Fracking and My Community’s Air Quality: Is There Something in the Air?
September 26, 2013 2:39 PM EDT
If you’ve been following the discussion of pollution risks around the unconventional oil and gas development that has been enabled by hydraulic fracturing and other technologies, then you’ve probably heard a lot about water contamination risks. These risks are certainly worth discussing, but discussion of air pollution risks also deserves some attention. We want to take the time to talk about air quality concerns—not just because this is where Gretchen’s past interests lie—but also because current research suggests there may be real risks from air pollution near oil and gas activities. Read more >