Author Archive

Industry Word Games Mislead Americans on Fracking

EcoWatch: Hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, and other drilling practices have unlocked previously inaccessible reserves of oil and gas across the U.S. and the world. However, some of the debate over fracking is distorting public understanding of these practices and interfering with good decision-making about this recent boom in unconventional oil and gas production. We often hear statements like this from industry and pro-drilling politicians: America has drilled and fracked more than 1...

Cancer-Causing Chemicals Used in 34 Percent of Reported Fracking Operations

EcoWatch: Recognized carcinogens are used in one of every three hydraulic fracturing operations across the nation--according to industry self-reporting. Independent analysis of the SkyTruth Fracking Chemical Database by IT professional David Darling found that 9,310 individual fracking operations conducted between January 2011 and September 2012 disclosed the use of at least one known carcinogen. While not all hydraulic fracturing operations or all chemicals used in the process are disclosed by the drilling...