Fracking is a nightmare in so many ways — not the least of which are earthquakes and water pollution caused by poorly disposed wastewater. Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, extracts gas from the earth, by literally shattering the earth's crust and then injecting the toxic wastewater back into underground wells.
The practice, which has boomed in recent years, has the potential to ruin local water supplies and soil as well as cause earthquakes. Fracking wastewater contains a wide array of dangerous chemicals and the process has been linked to an incredible uptick in the number of earthquakes near fracking sites. Yet the rules governing wastewater disposal haven't been updated for decades.
That's why a coalition of environmental groups is suing the Environmental Protection Agency, alleging that the government has done too little to regulate the disposal of waste that comes with fracking. The lawsuit asks for stricter federal rules on the disposal of wastewater, especially wastewater generated by fracking. Will you stand with them?
Please join me in asking the EPA to impose stricter federal regulations on the disposal of wastewater, including that from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Administrator McCarthy:
I continue to worry about the many dangers of fracking. Fracking causes local soil and water pollution because it literally shatters the earth's crust. No description of fracking, so matter how clinical, can disguise how extreme and dangerous it is. I can't entirely understand how this practice is legal or why it continues, especially in the midwestern United States. However, if fracking is going to continue, and it appears it is, you have a duty to manage its terrible outcomes. P
[Your comments]
lease impose stricter federal regulations on the disposal of wastewater, including that from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
