The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is setting up a hotline for public inquiries regarding drinking well water surrounding areas where hydraulic fracturing is occurring.
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” as it’s commonly known, is a method used to extract natural gas from rock formations. The process consists of high pressures of water, sand and chemicals being blown into rock formations. This pressure causes the rocks to break and release the gas.
People living near drilling sites as well as environmentalists contend the practice contaminates surrounding water supplies and makes people sick – more than 30 cases of drinking well contamination have been reported in Colorado and Wyoming.
Contamination of these wells and others across the U.S. can cause cancer and other chronic illnesses to those living around them.
Currently, there are no federal regulations for ‘fracking’ under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Controversy over the practice appears to be growing. Recently, a group of shareholders said they were going to target 12 companies engaged in the practice, among them Chesapeake Energy Corp, EOG Resources and Exxon Mobil. According to a Reuters report, Chesapeake and its partner company Statoil has the most leases in a rich deposit spanning parts West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio known as the Marcellus Shale.
In response to consumer concerns, the EPA set up a hotline for people to report any illegal dumping by oil and natural gas producers. The number to call is 877-919-4EPA.
If you’ve been injured working at a Colorado ‘fracking’ mine or are a surrounding neighbor and have been adversely affected in some way by this practice, please call Denver workers’ compensation and personal injury attorneys at the Babcock Law Firm today for a free consultation.