What do California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Texas have in common? Each state approved fracking. Now, each state is struggling with hard scientific evidence of the resulting air and water pollution which environmentalists have long suspected, and citizens have long reported. Both the fracking industry and the government have largely ignored these claims, but it’s unclear how long that tactic will work now that scientists are proving that fracking pollution poses a clear and present danger to human life.
Pennsylvania
According to a study conducted by the Associated Press in 2014, Pennsylvania received 897 complaints between 2012 and 2013 alleging that oil or gas drilling polluted or otherwise affected private water wells. Over 100 cases of pollution were confirmed in the 5 years before the study.
A first-of-its-kind study, published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, confirmed the presence of a common fracking compound in the formerly potable water source for at least three households in Bradford County.
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Ohio
Ohio received 160 complaints regarding well water pollution due to gas or oil drilling between 2010 and 2013. Six of those cases were confirmed, and 14 were still under investigation at the time of the study. Ohio is also subject to air pollution due to fracking. A study published in Environmental Science & Technology reports that air sampling near active natural gas wells in Carroll County, Ohio, showed the widespread presence of toxic air contaminants at levels higher than the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe for lifetime exposure.
In addition to pollution, Ohio is also struggling to deal with an increase in seismic activity as a result of fracking.
West Virginia
West Virginia saw 122 official complaints regarding well water pollution over the past 4 years, with 4 cases severe enough that the driller had to take corrective action. Recent studies have also examined the impact of fracking wastewater disposal, particularly in regard to how it affects the levels of certain air pollutants, such as benzene.
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Texas
Texas logged over 2,000 complaints regarding well water pollution, but failed to do any due diligence to confirm them. It is speculated that this is not due to a lack of pollution, but rather a lack of transparency from the energy industry. Studies have also indicated that fracking is to blame for increased levels of ozone and other pollutants near the Barnett Shale in Texas.
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California
Data shows toxic levels of benzene present in fracking wastewater, which in drought-ridden California is often used to water crops. State documents obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity reveal that thousands of gallons of toxic fracking wastewater have been illegally dumped into central California’s aquifers, causing elevated levels of arsenic and thallium in nearby wells.
All of the states involved in these studies are still grappling with how to process and address the findings related to fracking. Will the studies result in more widespread fracking bans, or will local governments turn a blind eye? Stay tuned for fracking news as it develops.