WASHINGTON (October 20, 2011) – Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee and a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a schedule to develop national standards for disposal of natural gas drilling wastewater.

“The EPA is right to heed warnings that the extraction of resources buried deep below the earth can lead to the contamination of the waterways above it,” said Rep. Markey. “The public should not have to choose between increased natural gas production and decreased water quality; we can have both with the right rules in place.”

The natural gas extraction technique commonly known as “fracking” has come under increased scrutiny by Rep. Markey and others due to the potentially toxic substances that some drilling companies use in their drilling fluids as well as the radioactive materials that are unearthed during the process of retrieving trapped fuel. This wastewater is sometimes improperly released into rivers and streams or hauled to wastewater treatment facilities that are incapable of properly neutralizing this waste, before discharging it into waterways. In response to this environmental threat, Rep. Markey has questioned the EPA and Department of Interior (DOI) on its oversight of these drilling practices

A copy of Rep. Markey’s letter to the EPA on fracking oversight can be found HERE .
 
A copy of Rep. Markey’s letter with Rep. Holt to Department of Interior on fracking on public lands can be found HERE .
 
A copy of Rep. Markey’s letter with Rep. Holt to EPA urging a robust fracking study can be found HERE .

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