It stripped the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to regulate a drilling process called hydraulic fracturing. Invented by Halliburton in the 1940s, it involves injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals, some of them toxic, into underground rock formations to blast them open and release natural gas.
Congress last week approved a bill that asks the E.P.A. to conduct a new study on the risks of hydraulic fracturing.
even more important bill is waiting in the wings. Cumbersomely named the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, it would close the loophole and restore the E.P.A.’s rightful authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing. It would also require the oil and gas industry to disclose the chemicals they use.
Click on the following to read the opinion in its entirety: Editorial - The Halliburton Loophole - NYTimes.com
No comments:
Post a Comment