(Westminster, CO) -- Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO) today called on the Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General to investigate allegations that the agency used flawed science and bowed to political pressure when it released a study which concluded that toxic fluids used in the development of natural gas posed little or no threat to drinking water supplies.
“Oil and gas development is accelerating in the west, and we must do all that we can to make sure that this is done safely and responsibly and does not impact drinking water supplies. The letter from the EPA employee raises serious questions about the EPA study, which concluded that hydraulic fracturing is not threatening drinking water supplies and therefore about the adequacy of EPA actions,” said Udall, who along with Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) wrote to EPA Inspector General Nikki Tinsley calling on her to investigate the matter.
Hydraulic fracturing involves the use of toxic chemicals that are injected underground under high pressure to break up coal seams and release natural gas. The process was developed by Halliburton Co. and there are reports that say the Bush administration has worked to keep the practice from being regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. In June 2004, the EPA issued a study stating that there was no evidence that hydraulic fracturing posed a threat to water supplies, but several EPA employees have criticized the accuracy of this study.
Weston Wilson, a longtime EPA employee from Denver who is invoking protection under the Whistleblowers Protection Act, told Udall and DeGette that the EPA’s conclusions are “unsupportable” and that the review panel that endorsed the EPA study included several members from the oil and gas industry who would benefit from no investigation or lesser regulation of their activities.
Udall said that Congress should hold hearings to see if the EPA properly reviewed the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water supplies. “This is something that Congress should look into. Not only are there important environmental questions at stake, but the credibility of a federal agency is also at risk. The Bush administration should be using sound science to determine whether or not hydraulic fracturing is polluting our water supplies. It shouldn’t rig the process to give special treatment to special interests.”