Claims by environmental groups that a technology used to extract natural gas could contaminate groundwater in the West are completely unfounded, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After an exhaustive multi-year study (see www.epa.gov/ safewater/uic/cbmstudy.html) that reviewed the geology of 11 major coal basins, analyzed over 200 peer-reviewed studies, interviewed more than 50 industry specialists and state officials and analyzed complaints and input from over 40 citizens and environmental groups, EPA concluded that "injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into coalbed methane (CBM) wells poses little or no threat" to underground sources of drinking water (USDWs).
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