Congressmen Call for Tighter Regulation After Report Shows Hydrofracking's Toxic Wastewater Threat

[Nathanael]

After the New York Times recently published an expose on the environmental dangers posed by hydraulic fracturing as a result of lax government regulations on the industry, two members of the House of Representatives have written letters to the Environmental Protection Agency requesting immediate action to address the health risks related to natural gas drilling.

Natural gas has been recognized as an alternative to other fossil fuels by environmentalists and oil and gas executives alike. Environmentalists agree that natural gas burns cleaner than both oil and coal. Meanwhile, oil and gas executives state the United States' bountiful supply of natural gas, coupled with technology capable of extracting it quickly, offer the country a new path toward energy independence.


Link: http://www.energyboom.com/policy/congressmen-call-stiffer-regulations-after-investigative-report-shows-gas-frackings

[Marblehead]

1. on tv it is

advertised as clean

[LiberalEsto]

2. It's clearER

Burning natural gas still releases CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. It doesn't release as much as coal does, and it doesn't release arsenic, mercury, cadmium and other heavy metals, as far as I recall.

That said, I think fracking is horrible and should be stopped ASAP. There is methane (the main ingredient of natural gas)that can be harvested from landfills, cattle and pig farms and sewage plants.