The EPA’s First Fracking Rules — Limited and Delayed
Men with Cabot Oil & Gas work on a natural-gas valve at a hydraulic fracturing site on Jan. 18, 2012, in South Montrose, Pa. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The Environmental Protection Agency issued the first-ever national air pollution regulations for fracking on Wednesday. Firstproposed in July 2011, the final rules have been welcomed by environmental groups as a much-needed initial move in reducing pollution and protecting public health from the toxic chemicals involved in the oil and natural gas drilling process. But many cautioned it was just a first step.
“It sets a floor for what the industry needs to do,” said attorney Erik Schlenker-Goodrich of the Western Environmental Law Center. “The reality is we can do far better.”
