PITTSBURGH (AP) - A new
study from the Congressional Government Accountability Office says shale
gas and shale oil drilling does pose environmental and public health
risks, but the extent of those risks is unknown.
The GAO also says
regulators from eight states report the natural gas process called
hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, doesn't cause groundwater pollution.
The GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress.
The study says that in some
cases a scarcity of scientific data and differing regulations make it
difficult to draw firm conclusions about shale oil and gas impacts.
GAO also notes that while
federal agencies have given different estimates of the amount of
recoverable shale gas in the nation, all the estimates have increased
dramatically over the last few years.
Online: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-732
Copyright
2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
