There soon could be new standards for air pollution caused by natural gas development. And that includes the process known as hydraulic fracturing – or 'fracking.' The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release the new standards next week. Robin Cooley is an attorney with Earthjustice. She says it's been 25 years since the E-P-A last reviewed some of these standards – and the industry has changed significantly.
She's hoping for standards similar to ones currently in place in Wyoming that require a capturing of the emissions before they are released into the air. Colorado has the same standards. The industry claims fracking has minimal environmental impacts – but a study by the Colorado School of Public Health found that health risks from cancers and asthma are higher than normal for people living near fracking sites. Cooley says the rules are timely as fracking development is exploding nationwide.
Earthjustice filed a lawsuit seeking new standards in 2009 on behalf of Wild Earth Guardians and the San Juan Citizen's Alliance.
She's hoping for standards similar to ones currently in place in Wyoming that require a capturing of the emissions before they are released into the air. Colorado has the same standards. The industry claims fracking has minimal environmental impacts – but a study by the Colorado School of Public Health found that health risks from cancers and asthma are higher than normal for people living near fracking sites. Cooley says the rules are timely as fracking development is exploding nationwide.
Earthjustice filed a lawsuit seeking new standards in 2009 on behalf of Wild Earth Guardians and the San Juan Citizen's Alliance.
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