Environmental Geochemistry Issues Semi-Monthly

This week's blog post subject was actually suggested to me by my Mother. She mentioned that she had heard something concerning radioactive elements found in Fracking wastewater, and how that was causing another water quality concern. So, I began investigating. The following set of articles are what I have found thus far.   I'll start off with an initial article, published on April 7, 2013 by Tina CASEY:   Ohio River Barges Open Up A New Can Of Worms For Fracking (via Clean Technica ) While the US pollution-watching world has been tuned into the tar sands oil spill drama unfolding in Arkansas, another potential risk situation related to fossil fuels has been quietly bubbling along under the radar. At least, it was quiet until last week, when our friends over at Reuters caught our…

In the wake of the Kern County Superior Court decision regarding the Starrh vs. Aera Energy punitive damages lawsuit of March 8, 2013 ; I find it quite interesting how hydraulic fracturing processes and water quality concerns have recently taken the "forefront" in California.   I present the following links to three articles from the media which speak to this investigative trend:   U. S. Bureau of Land Management Violated NEPA When Selling Oil and Gas Leases in California  (Jayni FOLEY HEIN; Legal Planet , 2013)  http://legalplanet.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/u-s-bureau-of-land-management-violated-nepa-when-selling-oil-and-gas-leases-in-california/ Oil Companies Fracking Activities in Kern County Investigated by Water Board ( BakersfieldNow.com , 2013) http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/business/Oil-companys-fracking-activities-in-Kern-County-investigated-by-water-board-202369191.html Shafter Oil Well Investigations Prompts Water Quality Concern...

Today’s installment presents two (2) updates to formerly published EGISM blog posts.   A. Update to December 19 and 25, 2012 posts concerning the on-going EPA study of Hydraulic fracturing and Water pollution .   The following three (3) links are associated with the EPA Draft report announced in the Washington Post by Ben WOLFGANG on December 21, 2012, and due to be released in 2014:           1)  Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources                Website         http://www.epa.gov/hfstudy/         2)  Summary of Technical Roundtables on EPA’s Study of the Potential Impacts of                Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources   (  ...