The Environmental Protection Agency released the draft of a long-awaited study on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing - or fracking - for natural gas on drinking water. Individuals on both sides of the debate have misrepresented the study's findings.
Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma and chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, said in a press release that the study confirmed that fracking is safe: "EPA's report on hydraulic fracturing confirms what we have known for over 60 years when the process began in Duncan, Oklahoma: Hydraulic fracturing is safe."
The study did not conclude that, and in fact reported specific cases of water contamination.
Meanwhile, the very same study produced an opposite reaction from opponents of fracking. Amy Mall, a senior policy analyst with the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, said, "This draft study provides solid scientific analysis that fracking has contaminated drinking water around the country. . But despite the holes (in the study), it is clear EPA has found impacts - they just cannot be sure how widespread those impacts are."
Both of these reactions, and others like them on both sides, portray the finding as a definitive victory for one of two sides - either that fracking does or does not harm drinking water supplies. The reality of the situation is more nuanced: The EPA did find that there have been instances where fracking and related activities contaminated water, but it also found that these problems were relatively rare, and not "widespread" or "systemic."
EPA, June 4: "From our assessment, we conclude there are above- and below-ground mechanisms by which hydraulic fracturing activities have the potential to impact drinking water resources. These mechanisms include water withdrawals in times of, or in areas with, low water availability; spills of hydraulic fracturing fluids and produced water; fracturing directly into underground drinking water resources; below ground migration of liquids and gases; and inadequate treatment and discharge of wastewater.
"We did not find evidence that these mechanisms have led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States. Of the potential mechanisms identified in this report, we found specific instances where one or more mechanisms led to impacts on drinking water resources, including contamination of drinking water wells. The number of identified cases, however, was small compared to the number of hydraulically fractured wells."
Huckabee jabs at Jeb Bush
Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee took a jab at Jeb Bush, in Bush's own state of Florida on Social Security, alluding to Bush's comments on reducing benefits and raising the retirement age. Huckabee called the idea political and economic suicide.
"Sixty million Americans depend on Social Security, and one-third of all the seniors in America depend on Social Security for 90 percent of their income" he said. "The government took that money from you involuntarily when you started working - with the promise that you'd get that money back when you retire. For the government to even think about breaking that promise is absolutely ridiculous."
Huckabee's numbers reflect official statistics, though slightly lowballed: About 64 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, and about 36 percent of seniors depend on it for 90 percent of their income, according to the Social Security Administration. Some take issue with those statistics, saying they understate the importance of irregular sources of income and therefore may overstate the importance of Social Security. However, experts agree with the gist of Huckabee's idea: Broadly speaking, Social Security beneficiaries need the cash to make ends meet.
Politifact rates the claim Mostly True.
Chip Tuthill lives in Mancos. Websites used: www.factcheck.org www.politifact.com