
Takeaway
- The study, released Feb. 16, found that many problems ascribed to hydraulic fracturing are related to processes common to all oil and gas drilling operations, such as casing failures or poor cement jobs.
- Researchers also concluded that many reports of contamination can be traced to above-ground spills or other mishandling of wastewater produced from shale gas drilling.
The practice of hydraulic fracturing within natural gas production has seen its share of controversy, driven by concerns that the practice of "fracking" may contaminate groundwater or pose other public health risks. However, a new study by The University of Texas at Austin's Energy Institute finds there is no direct connection between hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas and reports of groundwater contamination.
Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas has no direct connection to reports of groundwater contamination, based on evidence reviewed in a study released by the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin.
The study, released at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, British Columbia, found that many problems ascribed to hydraulic fracturing are related to processes common to all oil and gas drilling operations, such as casing failures or poor cement jobs.
University researchers also concluded that many reports of contamination can be traced to above-ground spills or other mishandling of wastewater produced from shale gas drilling, rather than from hydraulic fracturing per se, said Charles "Chip" Groat, an Energy Institute associate director who led the project.
Read more about the study on the Environmental Protection website.
#1 There is widespread ignorance