Fracking Has Not Had A Big Effect On Water Supply - 890 Words

Following the release of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) draft report on their study of the effects of the fracking industry to ground water, the New York Times published the article titled â€Å"Fracking has not had a big effect on water supply, EPA says while noting risks.† The article conveys to the readers on the release of the study and gives opinions of the report’s findings from both sides of the fracking debate. In order to review the content of the article, the specifics presented in the article were compared to those cited in â€Å"Hydraulic fracturing: a toxicological threat for groundwater and drinking-water?† by Gordalla et al. This scientific paper had been released two years before the EPA’s report and had also assed the†¦show more content†¦Citing the documentary â€Å"Gasland†, the article brings to account instances in the past where people who lived close to fracking sites had experienced sickness and foul-smel ling water. The documentary had then influenced New York State’s decision to ban fracking. By citing this documentary, the article makes the reader to not fully accept the given conclusion. Without going into great detail, the article mentions a couple of environmental groups questioning of the legitimacy of the study, considering that the study uses data generated by oil and gas companies. This also brings to question the limitations of the data used. The article reads unbiasedly towards both sides of the fracking industry, it recognizes the conclusions of the EPA study but still lets the reader know that there is still a lot that has not been explored in the topic. The Gordalla et al paper is a toxicology study of the constituents of fracking fluids and flow back water and its impact on drinking-water wells. Data used in the study is based from ExxonMobil drilling sites in northern Germany. The paper relates to the New York Times article as they both tackle the question of the impacts of fracking on groundwater. The paper lists down the different chemicals used in fracking-fluid and ranks them by their projected