Studied

During a contentious House subcommittee hearing last week on an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation of well water contamination in Wyoming, one lawmaker accused the agency of being on a hydraulic fracturing (fracking) witch hunt, while another hammered it on the semantics of a press release he said overstated the potential for a fracking-contamination link.

Responding to complaints that its findings were biased in favor of drilling, a consulting firm that studied the socioeconomic impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in New York has been asked to go back and do more research.

While environmentalists and some citizens are opposed to the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to develop shale natural gas, experts — one of whom has studied fracking for more than 41 years — told a Senate committee the practice does not negatively impact drinking water or the environment.

Among the lessons to be learned from a recent study of BP plc’s Deepwater Horizon rig disaster is that risk management systems and technology need to be studied and updated, said Christopher Smith, the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for oil and natural gas.

Among the lessons to be learned from a recent study of the BP Deepwater Horizon rig disaster is that risk management systems and technology need to be studied and updated, said Christopher Smith, the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for oil and natural gas.