On December 13, 2016 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its scientific report on the impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities on drinking water. The EPA’s report concludes that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources under some circumstances. As part of the report, EPA identified conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe. The report also identifies uncertainties and data gaps. These uncertainties and data gaps limited EPA’s ability to fully assess impacts to drinking water resources both locally and nationally.
In its annual publication listing potential candidates for placement on the Endangered or Threatened Species lists, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service identified the rattlesnake-master borer moth as one of several species that face threats to their survival.
The Environmental Protection Agency has sent its revised Risk Management Program Rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget for pre-publication review. The EPA’s Risk Management Program applies to facilities that use or store a certain threshold amount of hazardous substances.
Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment published the findings of a study analyzing flowback and produced waters from hydraulically fractured unconventional oil and gas wells. The study found that only 4-8% of the flowback and produced waters is composed of returned injected hydraulic fracturing fluids, and the majority of the return of injected hydraulic fracturing fluids occurs within the first few months after the initial fracturing. The remaining 92-96% of the flowback and produced waters comes from naturally occurring formation brines.
