The U.S. EPA Called Fracking Safe. Now Its Scientists Disagree

Scott Segal, head of the policy resolution group at Bracewell & Giuliani in Washington, and a lobbyist who represents Range Resources Corp. and other energy companies, said in an interview that the review board should disregard “anecdotal evidence presented by litigants in active cases.” By contrast, he added, “the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence is on the side of the regulated community.”

Spill Data

Science advisers reviewing EPA’s fracking report praised the agency’s "overall approach" and said the document provided "a generally comprehensive overview" of the issue. But more research, including long-term, prospective studies, are also needed, the group said in its draft recommendations.

Panel scientists previously said the evidence doesn’t support the conclusion about water safety.

Spill data alone "gives sufficient pause to reconsider the statement” that there’s no evidence of systemic, widespread damage, said panelist Bruce Honeyman, professor emeritus at the Colorado School of Mines.

"It’s important to characterize and discuss the frequency and severity of outliers that have occurred,” said panelist Katherine Bennett Ensor, chairwoman of the Rice University Department of Statistics.

And panel member James Bruckner, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Georgia, said the report glosses over the limited data and studies available to the agency.

"I do not think that the document’s authors have gone far enough to emphasize how preliminary these key conclusions are and how limited the factual bases are for their judgments," Bruckner said.