EPA probes Water Contamination from Chemicals used in the Shale Gas Hydraulic Fracking Process

Shale Gas which is a new form of Gas Extraction through Shale Gas Formation found deep under the Earth through Pressurized Injection of Water Mixed with Chemicals,is coming under Environmental Scrutiny.There have already been questions raised against the Environmental Safety of the Shale Gas Extraction Process.However the entry of Big Oil and Gas is preventing a fair and unbiased investigation into the harmful effects of Shale Gas.Note a NGO has accused the provincial officials and Gas Companies of illegaly using Water Supplies in Pennsylvania.The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deepened the probe into the process by asking 9 Exploration Firms to send Chemicals Data used in Shale Gas.These Companies  are  BJ Services, Complete Production Services, Halliburton, Key Energy Services, Patterson-UTI, RPC Inc., Schlumberger, Superior Well Services and Weatherford.The Gas Companies are resisting the move on the grounds that these fluids are a trade secret.Big Oil wants to stall the process in its usual manner which led to the BP Oil Spill.

The US Congress had got into the act in 2009 through 2 Bills to regulate the Hydraulic Fracking Process and told EPA to study the process.The Stakes are high for the Oil and Gas Companies as Shale Gas represent a Huge Opportunity.North America has been a pioneer in this Technology with Shale Gas Extraction expected to spread rapidly in different parts of the world.The EPA Study and US Regulations will be watched closely by other countries which are formulating their own regulations in this regard.

Fracking debate heats up in New York – CNNMoney

Hundreds of people are expected to pack an upstate New York auditorium Monday as the federal government enters the fray over a controversial technique for natural gas production.

The hearing is the public comment portion of an ongoing Environmental Protection Agency investigation into whether or not hydraulic fracturing, a process that injects thousands of gallons of chemical-laced water and sand into natural gas wells, cracking the shale rock and allowing the gas to flow out, is safe.

But extracting shale gas comes with a dark side. Producing the gas involves drilling deep underground and injecting massive amounts of chemical-laced water and sand to free the gas from a seam of shale rock.

People living near the drilling are afraid the process will contaminate their drinking water, and there have been several cases where the water supplies have been ruined. They are also shocked at the pace of development this industry is undergoing. Trucks and drilling rigs operating round the clock, roads widened, pipes laid.problems.