For Immediate Release
December 13, 2016
Washington, D.C. – Today the EPA released its final report on fracking. The 6-year study concludes that drilling, fracking, and the use of the hazardous chemicals necessary to frack have caused groundwater contamination across the country. In response, Greenpeace spokesperson Jesse Coleman said:
“The report only confirms what too many Americans already know from personal experience: That fracking poisons our water and sickens our communities. The final publication of this report, long delayed, is a significant win for the dedicated people who fought to keep this process honest.”
The report puts to rest the widely repeated lie that fracking is “safe” and has never caused drinking water contamination. The report, which was the target of withering political and corporate interference, is also a reminder of the danger of corporate and political intrusion in the scientific process. Coleman continued:
“We as a nation need an independent Environmental Protection Agency that can conduct thorough, fact-based science. As anti-science oil-industry lackeys take hold of the EPA and other regulatory bodies, this critical function is in danger. The fight for scientific truth must continue and must be a rallying point for Americans concerned with safety, public health, and the environment.”
As Greenpeace and others have revealed, corporate and political interference kneecapped the EPA’s ability to conduct this study. Corporations that promised to participate in the study backed out at crucial points, essentially sabotaging key sections of research. The draft conclusions of the report were edited for political reasons to downplay the impact of fracking on groundwater. Those edits have since been overturned, but only due to years of protest and participation by impacted communities and science advocates.
For additional inquiries, please contact:
Jesse Coleman, [email protected], 210-837-3912
Jason Schwartz, [email protected], 347-452-3752
