Fracking EPA Study Shows No Water Danger As US Shale Oil Output Maxes

Fracking is the process of drilling and injecting water into the ground at high pressure far beneath water aquifer levels in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural oil.

Fracking in the United States has been ongoing since 1947 with the EIA saying there were 514,637 producing gas wells in 2011.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, one oil fracking study claims the fracking method to be responsible for methane gas contamination of drinking water.

But long term methane exposure is not known to be harmful to human health. An oil fracking EPA study was looking into whether water in Wyoming was being contaminated by methane, as well. After receiving criticisms of its methodology the EPA’s fracking study was dropped and the agency won’t even issue a final report. The state of Wyoming will continue the study, which was dubious of claims of the danger of fracking from the beginning.

The EPA’s fracking study found that the allegedly contaminated wells “contained levels of methane typical in the area and below levels that the federal government considers a threat to health.” With no evidence to back up claims of fracking’s danger to the environment, “environmentalists see an agency that is systematically disengaging from any research that could be perceived as questioning the safety of fracking or oil drilling.”

In 2011, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson told Congress that fracking was not known to pose a health risk:

“I am not aware of any proven case where the fracking process itself affected water… In no case have we made a definitive determination that the fracking process has caused chemicals to enter groundwater.”

One study by Newsbuster claims that half of all broadcast news network reports on natural gas fracking relied on Hollywood documentaries opposed to the fracking method. Films like Gasland Part 2 have attempted to persuade the public that oil fracking is dangerous to their health.

In the meantime, fracking has been steadily increasing the US oil industry’s output ever year. In fact, The US met 89 percent of its own energy needs in March of 2013, leading to the possibility of the US becoming an oil exporter. But US oil refineries will have to catch up and President Obama hasn’t allowed the building of any new refineries.

Despite the good news, it’s possible fracking may ruin beer:

Do you think oil fracking techniques pose a threat in the United States?