Study, study some more.  That seems to be the philosophy at Obama’s EPA.

 

Though we’ve arguably reviewed the issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing in the natural gas industry sufficiently, remarks shared today by Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) warrant our looking at it again.

 

The process of hydraulic fracturing was studied under the Clinton EPA in 1995.  Not one incident of groundwater contamination was found.

 

The process of hydraulic fracturing was studied under the Bush EPA in 2004.  Not one incident of groundwater contamination was found.

 

These findings are not consistent with the wishes of the Obama Administration, so his EPA will study it once again.

 

(Regulars at The Hayride are very familiar with the practice of hydraulic fracturing and the issues surrounding it.  If you’re new to the Ride, go here and follow the embedded links, and you’ll catch up in no time.)

 

As was noted today by Connie Hair at humanevents.com,

 

…never before has the study been done by an EPA bursting at the seams with far-left radicals empowered by the administration to run the independent oil and gas industry out of business. 

 

Previous studies focused on the risk of contaminating drinking water due to the drilling process and the injection of water, sand and minute quantities of chemicals that hold open the fissures through which the gas escapes.  This new study will take a much broader approach, examining ancillary activities as well, in hope of finding some scapegoat by which to kill this industry.

 

The entire world will be watching these activities.

 

Natural gas is clean, it’s cheap, and it exists in sufficient abundance that it can serve as a viable energy source for years and years to come.  We’ll not make it on windmills and solar, Obama’s “green energy” plan, and we can’t build nuclear facilities quickly enough to offset our dependence on coal or petroleum fuels.

 

Obama’s EPA is scheduled to complete this study in late 2012.  As such, we should have a more conservative Congress seated and a more conservative President waiting in the wings.  The production of natural gas in the safe and environmentally responsible methods that have been successfully used for years must be allowed to continue.