Fracking is a huge environmental and human threat. Why does Obama support it? [View all]

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Advocates of fracking seem to be fond of saying that it can be done safely. That may be true but there's little to indicate that it is being done safely.

Here are just some of the problems with fracking:

Water. It takes enormous amounts of water. Many of the places in this country undergoing serious drought, are also places where fracking is taking place. In fact, something like 50% of fracking wells are in drought impacted regions.

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Nearly half of the 39,294 reported "fracked" wells drilled in the U.S. since 2011 are in regions with high or extreme water stress, according to a report by Ceres, an investor and environmental-advocacy group.

In Colorado, Ceres found that 97 percent of the wells are being drilled in highly or extremely highly water-stressed areas, such as the Denver-Julesburg Basin.

Read more: When drought occurs, fracking and farming collide - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_25089583/when-drought-occurs-fracking-and-farming-collide#ixzz2sqzl1PSV

That fact in itself should be enough for any thinking person to grasp the negative impact of fracking on the environment, but there's so much more:

Water quality:

Fracking pollutes water.

Tests show Texas well water polluted by fracking, despite EPA assurances
http://grist.org/news/tests-show-texas-well-water-polluted-by-fracking-despite-epa-assurances/

Fracking in America generated 280bn US gallons of toxic waste water last year – enough to flood all of Washington DC beneath a 22ft deep toxic lagoon, a new report out on Thursday found.

The report from campaign group Environment America said America's transformation into an energy superpower was exacting growing costs on the environment.

"Our analysis shows that damage from fracking is widespread and occurs on a scale unimagined just a few years ago," the report, Fracking by the Numbers, said.

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http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/04/fracking-us-toxic-waste-water-washington

http://www.environmentamerica.org/sites/environment/files/reports/EA_FrackingNumbers_scrn.pdf

Fracking's Impact on Climate Change:

As controversy rages over high-volume hydraulic fracturing and climate change, Cornell University professor Robert Howarth has fanned the flames.

Howarth, 61, of Trumansburg, was the lead author of a 2011 study that was the first to explore natural gas leaks, chiefly made up of methane, and their impacts on climate change.
Howarth’s study found that methane leakage from fracking was speeding climate change quicker than previously estimated. The study questioned the viability of natural gas as a clean fuel that could bridge the gap toward sustainable energy sources, and it added a new dimension to the debate over fracking. Howarth’s work drew heavy fire from the oil-and-gas industry, and praise from environmental activists.

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http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20140208/NEWS01/302080015/Cornell-expert-impacts-fracking-debate

The EPA has done a for shit job re fracking:

A major report on the environmental impact of fracking has been delayed until 2016. The study, which began in 2010, was scheduled to be released this year.

The EPA has dropped several studies:


EPA Abandons Fracking Study In Pavilion, Wyoming Following Similar Closed Investigations

When the Environmental Protection Agency abruptly retreated on its multimillion-dollar investigation into water contamination in a central Wyoming natural gas field last month, it shocked environmentalists and energy industry supporters alike.

In 2011, the agency had issued a blockbuster draft report saying that the controversial practice of fracking was to blame for the pollution of an aquifer deep below the town of Pavillion, Wy. – the first time such a claim had been based on a scientific analysis.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/03/epa-fracking-study-pavillion-wyoming_n_3542365.html

Internal EPA Report Conflicts with Agency’s Stance on Fracking Contamination in Pennsylvania Town

http://www.allgov.com/news/top-stories/internal-epa-report-conflicts-with-agencys-stance-on-fracking-contamination-in-pennsylvania-town-130731?news=850736

Fracking and birth defects:

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116490/colorado-fracking-study-evidence-it-causes-birth-defects-mounting

The explosion in the number of fracking wells is continuing at breakneck speed:

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Since the late 1990s, American landscapes have become dotted with a small forest of shale gas wells — 13,000 new ones a year, or about 35 a day, according to the American Petroleum Institute. In the past decade, this steady stream of development has become a gusher as nearly half the country has staked claim to these energy riches. In 2000, the USA had 342,000 natural gas wells. By 2010, more than 510,000 were in place — a 49% jump — according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-29/fracking-environment-gas/55845708/1