The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking nine natural-gas service companies to disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as it studies the impact of the gas extraction method on drinking water and public health, the agency said Thursday.
Fracking uses large volumes of water, sand and chemicals blasted into underground rock formations to release gas. Environmental concerns have fueled opposition to its use in the Marcellus shale, found under parts of Ulster and Sullivan counties.
“Natural gas is an important part of our nation’s energy future, and it’s critical that the extraction of this valuable natural resource does not come at the expense of safe water and healthy communities,” Lisa Jackson of the EPA said in a statement.
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