MSC Statement on EPA Study of Hydraulic Fracturing

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Mar 18, 2010, 05:21 ET

CANONSBURG, Pa., March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Marcellus Shale Coalition today issued the following statement regarding a plan by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale:

"The members of the Marcellus Shale Coalition develop and drill wells in an environmentally responsible manner, including the use of hydraulic fracturing to complete a well for production. Hydraulic fracturing has been an established and proven practice for more than 60 years in Pennsylvania and around the country, and has been regulated successfully by state agencies. There have been no identified groundwater contamination incidents due to hydraulic fracturing, as noted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, other state regulators and the U.S. Groundwater Protection Council.

"Similarly, there have not been impacts to surface water sources due to the practice. Water withdrawals in Pennsylvania are highly regulated by state agencies and water commissions, with a typical permitted withdrawal amounting to about one-half of one percent of the average flow of a stream or river.

"The MSC will provide information and participate as appropriate in EPA's study. Our industry is confident that an objective evaluation of hydraulic fracturing will reach the same conclusion as other studies – that it is a safe and well-regulated process that is essential to the development of natural gas."

SOURCE Marcellus Shale Coalition