It’s Official: Injection of Fracking Wastewa...

The largest earthquake ever recorded in Kansas—a 4.9 magnitude temblor that struck northeast of Milan on Nov. 12, 2014—has been officially linked to wastewater injection into deep underground wells, according to new research from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter of that extremely rare earthquake struck near a known fracking operation. LINK to video: https://youtu.be/0p1sTZ0MpU0 The Wichita Eagle noted from...

Group files suit against ODNR for details about pe...

Columbus, OH. Buckeye Environmental Network (BEN) has filed a lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for withholding critical public information, violating Ohio law. Under public records law ORC 149.43, Ohio Department of Natural Recourses should have granted, but instead denied, a file review request by the group’s Executive Director of ODNR files on AquaSalina, a product of oil and gas waste. The...

Study Finds Health Threats Posed By Oil And Gas Wa...

STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Spreading oil and gas wastewater has been a common and cheap way for municipalities to suppress dust on unpaved roads in parts of Pennsylvania for years. But a new study found the practice — which the state recently ended — could threaten environmental and public health by leaching metals, salts, and radioactive materials into surface or groundwater, nearby soil, and even the air. The study, from...

Study: Water near fracked Wyo gas field disrupts h...

A study has found that polluted groundwater near a fracked Wyoming oil and gas field is more disruptive to human cells than tainted groundwater sampled near conventional oil and gas operations. The study by researchers at the University of Missouri and other institutions is believed to be the first to compare the effects of fracking-linked pollution to those of conventional oil and gas development pollution. Research found...

From Asthma to Cancer, ‘Blistering’ Ne...

A team of researchers on Tuesday released a “blistering” report on the serious public health threats—from headaches to asthma to cancer—posed by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process of injecting a mix of water and chemicals into rocks to release oil and natural gas. The study—described as “the most authoritative” of its kind—was published by Concerned Health Professionals of New York and...

The Pebble Mine Is Too Toxic Even for the Trump Ad...

In a stunning reversal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it is suspending its effort to reverse an Obama-era plan to restrict mining in Bristol Bay, Alaska based on a controversial mine project’s risks to the region’s important salmon fisheries and natural resources. The unexpected move from President Trump’s pro-business administration was a blow to Pebble Limited Partnership, a...

Oil and gas association, environmental group team ...

Ohio has more than 700 oil and gas wells that have never been plugged or were improperly plugged years ago, resulting in safety risks to children and environmental risks to groundwater and area streams. Nearly a third of them are in northwest Ohio, with most of the other problem areas near Cleveland and southeast Ohio. This Aug. 13, 2013, file photo shows a gas drilling rig at the Detweiler well in Salesville, Ohio....

Kucinich wants to eliminate oil and gas drilling i...

Dennis Kucinich promised a “major announcement” today in Columbus, and he delivered a promised moratorium on fracking and outright ban on injection wells if he is elected Ohio governor. Kucinich told reporters his goal is to eliminate all oil and gas wells — not just those from fracking, or hydraulic fracturing — in Ohio by the end of his four-year term. “We’re talking about a brand new day here in Ohio,” he said at a press...

Ohio House to OK Use of Fracking Waste as Road Dei...

Imagine if your child or family pet were accidentally poisoned by just playing in the snow.  Imagine if there were no way to determine what the poisoning chemical could be. If the Ohio House has its way this could be a reality when they approve House Bill 393 which would give “beneficial” use status to fracking waste to be used on Ohio’s roadways. We know from other states’ experiences that this is a terrible and dangerous...

New, Major Evidence That Fracking Harms Human Heal...

A child born very close to a well is likely to be smaller and less healthy than a child born farther away. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, may pose a significant—but very local—harm to human health, a new study finds. Mothers who live very close to a fracking well are more likely to give birth to a less healthy child with a low birth weight—and low birth weight can lead to poorer health throughout a person’s life. The...

“To Hell With Us” – Records of Misconduct Found In...

Annual citizen complaints reported to PA DEP compared to the annual number of new unconventional oil and gas wells. © Public Herald “To Hell With Us” – Records of Misconduct Found Inside Pa. Drinking Water Investigations PUBLIC HERALD | Since 2004, when the controversial process known as “fracking” began in Pennsylvania, over 4,100 drinking water complaints related to oil and gas operations have been reported to the...

Fracking brine leak in North Dakota reaches Missou...

Fracking brine leak in North Dakota reaches Missouri River, prompts state Democrats to call for more regulation  Rebecca Jacobson, Inside Energy PBS NewsHour | A pipeline leak near Williston, North Dakota, that began January 6 has spilled 3 million gallons of brine — a byproduct of hydraulic fracturing. The leak has reached the Missouri River, the Associated Press reported on Friday. It’s the largest saltwater spill in the...

30-Month Report Finds Pennsylvania Dept. Environme...

Public Herald Journalists Publish Largest Record of Fracking Complaint Cases in Pennsylvania History After a 30-month analysis, investigative journalists Joshua Pribanic and Melissa Troutman have uncovered 9 ways that officials at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have kept drinking water contamination across Pennsylvania “off the books” since fracking began in 2004. Troutman and Pribanic are the co-founders...

These Popular Fruit and Veggie Brands May be Grown...

The practice is gaining popularity in drought-plagued California, but is it safe? Was your California orange irrigated with wastewater from oil wells? Quite possibly yes. Under a 20-year-old water recycling program, wastewater that is generated as a byproduct from oil extraction is treated and sold to some 90 Southern California landowners—including one with certified organic operations—which use it to grow crops such as...

Study: Fracking Industry Wells Associated With Pre...

WASHINGTON — New research from Johns Hopkins University suggests that pregnant women living near fracking wells in Pennsylvania are more likely to give birth prematurely or have high-risk pregnancies. “Now that we know this is happening, we’d like to figure out why,” said Brian Schwartz, lead researcher and a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Is it air quality? Is it the stress? They’re the...