Fracking is increasingly widespread - for example, in the Marcellus Shale, a rock formation under Pennsylvania and New York that's flush with natural gas. The shale is also under a third of the Delaware River watershed, which supplies drinking water for more than 15 million people in Philadelphia, New York City, and other communities. Contamination of this watershed would be disastrous.
Alarming reports are emerging around the country of people becoming ill after fracking operations began in their communities. There have been anecdotes of drinking water that causes burning in the mouth and chest and a nurse who nearly died after treating a worker splashed with fracking fluid.
Unfortunately, though, authorities and residents investigating such incidents are rarely able to find out what chemicals drillers are using, making it impossible to say for certain what caused the contamination. This has also frustrated doctors attempting to determine what medical treatments are appropriate.
Oil and gas companies assure us their projects are safe, but they refuse to back up their assertions by disclosing the chemicals in their fracking fluids. Meanwhile, state disclosure requirements are limited. As a result, the anecdotal evidence of contamination cannot be confirmed and addressed.
As we have seen in the Gulf, poor oversight of energy exploration puts our environment and health in jeopardy. Mandating disclosure of the chemicals used in fracking is a critical step toward protecting communities and ensuring that onshore drilling is safe.
