Thursday, January 28, 2010

Shale Fracking Regulations Put On Hold

I should actually put some effort into this post; however, it got me going in a bad way in the very first sentence.

Summary
Better Judgement prevails regarding legislation proposed by US Representatives Diana Degette (D) and Jared Polis (D) of Colorado and Maurice Hinchey of New York (D) and Companion legislation introduced by Senator Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat. The EPA has delayed a study of fracking's effect on drinking water that the Congress ordered last year because the study has not been funded. Congress will not consider legislation until the EPA completes its study.


Analysis
At a Federal hearing Wed., January 20th Democrats took a markedly accommodating approach to the environmental risk posed by hydraulic fracturing” during testimony yesterday by ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson and XTO founder Bob Simpson.

The issue of fracking was raised by US Representatives Diana Degette (D) and Jared Polis (D) of Colorado and Maurice Hinchey of New York (D) who introduced legislation that would require the industry to meet EPA standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The environmental community is contending that chemicals in fracturing fluid contaminate ground water impacting drinking water.

Degette “emphasized the importance of fracking to her Congressional district and repeatedly asserted that her primary concern was disclosure of chemicals, not prohibition of fracking. Representative Degette represents the First Colorado District which takes in a part of Denver and eastern suburban districts and does not represent any of the Colorado's gas or oil producing areas. According to her bio she played a vital role in the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, has fought for tough food safety legislation, and was a key player in crafting a comprehensive consumer product safety bill. More>>>

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