Quick Key Facts What Are Fossil Fuels? Fossil fuels are fuels that literally come from fossils. Tens of millions of years ago, plants took energy from the sun and used it to turn carbon dioxide and water into carbon and hydrogen via photosynthesis. Animals ate those plants and stored the same elements in their bodies. […]
A new study shows that older adults who live near or downwind of unconventional oil and gas developments (UOGD), such as fracking sites and directional drilling, experience higher risks of early deaths. The study, published in the journal Nature Energy by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is the first time researchers have been […]
A new study correlates poorer surface water quality with nearby hydraulic fracturing but finds that the impacts aren’t major enough to be considered harmful by federal regulators. However, the researchers noted they weren’t able to study “potentially more dangerous” substances related to fracking because of a lack of data. While some published studies have already […]
Environmental activists temporarily shut down construction of the already over-budget and behind schedule Mountain Valley Pipeline in southwestern Virginia on Monday. Organizers with the group Appalachians Against Pipelines said 10 people locked themselves to construction equipment to protect native species threatened by the controversial pipeline that would carry fracked gas — primarily methane — more […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved dangerous chemicals that break down into PFAS for use in fracking in 2011, according to records obtained by Physicians for Social Responsibility and reported by The New York Times. Despite EPA scientists having identified preliminary evidence the carcinogenic, and birth-defect-linked substances could degrade into those “forever chemicals” and […]
A fracking boom in the Gulf of Mexico poses a major risk to human health and wildlife, a new report from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has found. The report, published Wednesday, calculated that oil and gas companies had dumped at least 66.3 million gallons of fracking fluids into the vulnerable waters of the […]
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with PennEast Pipeline Company in its battle with the state of New Jersey over whether its federal permit conferred the power of eminent domain and allowed it to overrule the state’s opposition to the pipeline‘s construction. The 5-4 decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, removes an obstacle in […]
By Kristina Marusic Living among fracking wells is linked to higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths due to heart attacks, according to a new study. The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Research, compared heart attack rates in Pennsylvania counties with fracking to demographically similar counties in New York where fracking is banned. “There’s […]
What is fracking? Fracking is a process of blasting water, chemicals and frac sand deep into the earth to break up sedimentary rock and access natural gas and crude oil deposits. The fracking industry, which has sought to promote the practice as safe and controlled, has preferred the term “hydraulic fracturing.” Fracking emerged as an […]