The EPA Shut Down Three Separate Investigations of Fracking Contamination Tell the EPA that this is unacceptable.

In recent weeks, EPA whistle-blowers have exposed how the EPA has repeatedly shut down its own fracking-related water contamination investigations after being pressured by the oil and gas industry.

This is unbelievable, and totally unacceptable.

Tell President Obama and the EPA to reopen these cases immediately.

We know the risk that fracking poses to our drinking water, and so does the EPA. That’s why they opened these cases to investigate drinking water contamination in the first place.

1. Parker County, TX – The EPA began an investigation after a homeowner reported that his drinking water was bubbling like champagne. But after fracking company Range Resources threatened not to participate in another study in March 2012, the EPA set aside the “smoking gun” report connecting methane migration to fracking.¹

2. Dimock, PA – The mid-Atlantic EPA began testing water in Dimock, PA after residents complained that their drinking water was contaminated from nearby fracking operations. But the federal EPA closed the investigation in July 2012 even after the staff members who had been testing the water warned of methane, manganese and arsenic contamination.²

3. Pavilion, WY – The EPA released a draft report in 2011 linking fracking to contamination of an underground aquifer. After drawing criticism from the oil and gas industry, the EPA handed the investigation over to the state of Wyoming in June 2013 to be completed with funding from EnCana, the drilling company charged with contaminating the water wells in the first place.³

But the EPA abandoned citizens when they needed them most. This is no coincidence.

Tell President Obama and the new EPA administrator, Gina McCarthy, to immediately reopen these investigations and deliver safe drinking water to the residents of these communities while the investigations commence.

We’re up against a powerful industry, but Americans know how dangerous fracking is — and they’re fighting back. Last month, along with our partners we delivered over 600,000 petitions to President Obama to ban fracking on federal lands. In the last two weeks, Los Angeles city council members introduced a fracking moratorium and Highland Park, New Jersey became the first town in the state to ban fracking. We’re building a broad, powerful movement to fight back…and win.

Speak out for safe water:
https://secure3.convio.net/fww/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=919

Thanks for taking action,

Mark Schlosberg
Organizing Director
Food & Water Watch
act(at)fwwatch(dot)org

P.S. Mark your calendar for the Global Frackdown 2 — an international day of action against fracking — on Saturday, October 19th. Communities across the globe will be coming together to call for a ban on fracking with one unified voice. Stay tuned for updates, and check out www.globalfrackdown.org to ways to plug in and find an event near you.

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1. EPA halted ‘fracking’ case after gas company protested. USA Today, January 16, 2013.
2. Internal EPA report highlights disputes over fracking and well water. LA Times, July 27, 2013.
3. EPA Drops Fracking Probe in Wyoming. Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2013.