Given that we do not have any details regarding these claims, it is impossible to address them. However, and as you may know, Pennsylvania has an aggressive, modernized regulatory framework aimed at ensuring that natural gas production occurs in way that protects our environment, especially our water resources. In addition to the strict environmental regulations in the place in Pennsylvania that protect groundwater resources, the MSC has released several Recommended Practices on this subject, including Pre-Drill Water Supply Surveys and Responding to Stray Gas Incidents. Further, a U.S. Department of Energy report states this about hydraulic fracturing and groundwater:
- “Hydraulic fracturing has been a key technology in making shale gas an affordable addition to the Nation’s energy supply, and the technology has proven to be a safe and effective stimulation technique. Ground water is protected during the shale gas fracturing process by a combination of the casing and cement that is installed when the well is drilled and the thousands of feet of rock between the fracture zone and any fresh or treatable aquifers.”
