IT’S a method of extracting gas which could be coming to the south of County Donegal if one company gets it way.
But last night in the United States the Environmental Protection Agency issued a damning report on fracking in one state, saying it led to water pollution.
The draft finding could have significant implications while states try to determine how to regulate the process, said USA Today.
Environmentalists said the report was a significant development but it was criticised – not surprisingly – by the oil and gas industry.
The practice is called hydraulic fracturing and involves pumping pressurized water, sand and chemicals underground to open fissures and improve the flow of oil or gas to the surface.
The EPA’s found that compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals had been detected in the groundwater beneath Pavillion, a small community in central Wyoming where residents say their well water reeks of chemicals. Health officials last year advised them not to drink their water after the EPA found low levels of hydrocarbons in their wells.
A FULL REPORT IS HERE ON THE USA TODAY WEBSITE:
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