Clean Water Action Urges Immediate Action to Protect Public

(Pittsburgh) - A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) advisory panel released their first report today listing recommendations on actions to reduce the environmental and public health impacts of shale gas drilling utilizing hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking.' Clean Water Action released a statement urging that the federal government take immediate action before further drilling damages water and air quality.

"We are glad to see that the federal government is identifying problems that have resulted in damage to communities in Pennsylvania and around the nation. The question now is whether the federal government will take action to stop further damage or continue to ignore the lack of oversight of the gas industry at the state level," stated Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania State Director for Clean Water Action.

The DOE advisory panel report includes a series of recommendations to develop ‘strong' regulations on gas drilling including extensive air pollution controls, full tracking of drilling wastewater, disclosure of all air and water pollution as well as chemicals used, and rules that take into account the cumulative impact of the drilling of thousands of wells in certain regions or watersheds.

"The Obama Administration can take action right now on some of these proposals, however, it is critical that Congress act immediately as well. The public cannot be adequately protected until Congress eliminates loopholes for the oil and gas industry in major environmental laws, like the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act, stated Arnowitt.

In addition, the report highlighted the need for funding regulatory agencies to adequately oversee the rapid expansion of gas drilling operations in the U.S. "Pennsylvania has cut their budget for the Department of Environmental Protection almost 40% in the past three years, and federally Congress is pushing for major cuts at EPA. Environmental laws to protect the public are worthless if there is no longer an agency to enforce these rules on industry," concluded Arnowitt.

As part of the Obama Administration's national energy plan, DOE established a Natural Gas Subcommittee under their Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) to make recommendations concerning environmental and public health impacts of natural gas drilling in the U.S. This report is the first of two expected to be issued by the Natural Gas Subcommittee; the second report will be issued 90 days from now. The full report and more information on SEAB is available here

Clean Water Action has more than 120,000 members statewide in Pennsylvania and is the nation's largest grassroots group focused on water, energy and environmental health. Clean Water Action's 1 million members, participate in our programs for clean, safe and affordable water, prevention of health-threatening pollution, and creation of environmentally-safe jobs and businesses. Clean Water Action's nonpartisan campaigns empower people to make democracy work.