Benjamin Grumbles served as assistant administrator for water at the Environmental Protection Agency during the George W. Bush years. During his time with the EPA, a report was released stating that hydraulic fracture did not negatively impact drinking water. Natural gas drilling was subsequently exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act (the “Cheney loophole”).
See what Grumbles has to say about his role in the exemption and the precarious state of our present day water supply in his interview with Abraham Lustgarten on ProPublica.
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EPA Sets Limits on Perchlorate
07 February 2011 9:41 AM | No CommentsThe Obama administration and the EPA are taking steps to limit the levels of toxic chemicals like perchlorate—a dangerous compound found in rocket fuel and fireworks—in drinking water. Studies performed in many parts of the nation have found hundreds of industrial and agricultural chemicals in...
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Marcellus Shale Drilling Resolution
28 January 2011 9:16 AM | No CommentsCity Council unanimously passed Resolution 100864 yesterday which, in essence, says that hydraulic fracturing (the process by which natural gas is harvested from underground in places like the Marcellus Shale) must be done responsibly and should be delayed until groups like the EPA have had...
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Extremists for Clean Drinking Water
16 September 2010 10:38 AM | No Comments(Philadelphia) City Paper’s Isaiah Thompson is doing a fine job of keeping us informed on the happenings in the world of natural gas drilling. In his blog, Thompson tells us that anti-drilling protesters are being labeled as extremist by state and federal authorities and their...
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Philadelphia GASLAND Screening
09 September 2010 10:11 AM | No CommentsPennEnvironment hosted a screening of the much talked about HBO documentary, GASLAND on Friday, September 3 at the Piazza in Northern Liberties. After the screening, filmmaker Josh Fox, representatives of the host organization, and Representative Tony J. Payton spoke to an enthused audience. Fox told the...
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Rave Review: Josh Fox’s GASLAND
17 July 2010 11:21 AM | 1 CommentIf you haven’t already done so, devote two hours to watching Josh Fox’s film GASLAND. The HBO documentary tells the compelling and terrifying tale of one man’s cross-country journey in search of the truth behind hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process by which natural gas is mined. ...
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DEP on Fracking Chemicals
29 June 2010 3:34 PM | No CommentsAfter two years of natural gas drilling, Pennsylvania is finally listing the chemicals used to extract gas. The Associated Press (AP) obtained a copy of the list from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The 80 chemicals on the list are associated with neurological...
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What Is Fracking?
24 June 2010 10:19 AM | No CommentsHydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a way of extracting natural gas from underground wells. To get natural gas, a well is drilled and injected with a high-pressure mix of water, sand and chemicals. The pressure of this mix forces breaks little fissures in the shale allowing natural gas...
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