The study, published in Environmental Pollution, is the first to examine the “Halliburton Loophole,” which exempts fracking from federal regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Previous research has shown that fracking chemicals can wind up in drinking water and impact human health. “The use of trade secrets is steadily increasing, and that’s definitely concerning.”A backroom deal with public consequences How the “Halliburton Loophole” lets fracking companies pollute water with no oversight Credit: Alpha Photo/flickr The Safe Drinking Water Act regulates both public drinking water contaminants and the injection of toxic chemicals underground. “The oil and gas program under the Safe Drinking Water Act was already weak, but the Halliburton Loophole gouged it even bigger for fracking specifically,” Erik Olson, an attorney, Safe Drinking Water Act expert and senior strategist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told EHN. The fracking industry agreed to publicly disclose some chemicals it uses in response to public concern about threats to water.

Source: New York Times May 18, 2023 13:27 UTC