Scientific American has published a lengthy article about the science of hydrofracking by Chris Mullins, “When multiple “fracks” are done in multiple, adjacent wells, however, the risk for contaminating drinking water may rise. If fracking is defined as the entire industrial operation, including drilling and the storage of wastewater, contamination has already been found.” You can see a preview at http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-truth-about-fracking but you must buy the magazine to read the whole thing. Mullins says that “Advanced tests, such as putting tracer chemicals down a well to see if they reappear in drinking water, could ultimately prove whether fracking is safe or not,” but regulators are not waiting for the science to come in.
Elsewhere in the magazine is an editorial saying the “fracking is getting ahead of the science” and the writer is urging New York where it is now under consideration, to “go slow” until the safety issues are resolved.
Cornell had released a narrated PowerPoint presentation on the SGEIS (Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement) on Hydrofracking. They have waded through the lengthy document to brief the public about the report. Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Community and Regional Development Institute at Cornell University has posted a new narrated powerpoint presentation that highlights the latest revisions to the SGEIS. The presentation can be found at http://bit.ly/SGEIS.
