Pro Publica makes this breathless announcement, but it is not news and the reality is thus far the EPA has been careful to make no assertion regarding the source of the contamination. Which in the end is the complete crux of the matter.
The information released yesterday by the EPA was limited to raw sampling data: The agency did not interpret the findings or make any attempt to identify the source of the pollution. From the start of its investigation, the EPA has been careful to consider all possible causes of the contamination and to distance its inquiry from the controversy around hydraulic fracturing.
Still, the chemical compounds the EPA detected are consistent with those produced from drilling processes, including one -- a solvent called 2-Butoxyethanol (2-BE) -- widely used in the process of hydraulic fracturing. The agency said it had not found contaminants such as nitrates and fertilizers that would have signaled that agricultural activities were to blame.
The wells also contained benzene at 50 times the level that is considered safe for people, as well as phenols -- another dangerous human carcinogen -- acetone, toluene, naphthalene and traces of diesel fuel.The EPA is scheduled to release a detailed report on the Pavillion findings later this month. For now I will only say that none of the chemicals listed above are unique to fracturing and this is unlikely to be the smoking gun evidence environmentalists are hoping for.
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