Democratic Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee’s Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, late last month called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on the impact of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water sources and the environment at large. Cardin also asked GAO to provide an opinion of whether additional government regulation of the practice is warranted.
Cardin said the report would help citizens and lawmakers “understand the potential damage to the health of those living near such drilling operations and environmental contamination that could affect future generations.” The proposed study would investigate how hydraulic fracturing might adversely affect water resources, how much natural gas is available for extraction using the technique, how industry and regulators are currently managing the use of the technology, and how uncertainty around the use of the technology could affect U.S. waters, among other issues. Senator Cardin’s complete request is available at http://tinyurl.com/3pk7awx.