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Environment

Fracking

Gas Drilling’s Environmental Threat

Vast deposits of natural gas have brought a drilling boom across much of the country, but the technique being used, called hydraulic fracturing, is suspected of causing hundreds of cases of water contamination. Now environmentalists and lawmakers are pushing for closer oversight of the gas industry, which is pushing back.

169 stories published since 2008

EPA Concludes Fracking a Threat to U.S. Water Supplies

by Patrick G. Lee,

Federal Report Appears to Undercut EPA Assurances on Water Safety In Pennsylvania

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Progress and Controversy Arrive With New Rules for Fracking on Public Lands

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

New York State Bans Fracking

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

New York's Gas Rush Poses Environmental Threat

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

New York State of Fracking: A ProPublica Explainer

by Naveena Sadasivam,

California Halts Injection of Fracking Waste, Warning it May Be Contaminating Aquifers

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Aggressive Tactic on the Fracking Front

by Naveena Sadasivam,

In Fracking Hotbed, a Muted Approach to Regulation

by Naveena Sadasivam,

In Fracking Fight, a Worry About How Best to Measure Health Threats

by Naveena Sadasivam,

Chesapeake Energy’s $5 Billion Shuffle

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Drilling for Certainty: The Latest in Fracking Health Studies

by Naveena Sadasivam,

Unfair Share: How Oil and Gas Drillers Avoid Paying Royalties

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

New Study Finds High Levels of Arsenic in Groundwater Near Fracking Sites

by Theodoric Meyer,

EPA’s Abandoned Wyoming Fracking Study One Retreat of Many

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Another Layer to Rendell’s Fracking Connections

by Justin Elliott,

More Than a Matter of Opinion: Ed Rendell’s Plea for Fracking Fails to Disclose Industry Ties

by Justin Elliott,

Land Grab Cheats North Dakota Tribes Out of $1 Billion, Suits Allege

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Update: State Oil and Gas Regulators Still Spread Thin

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

New Study: Fluids From Marcellus Shale Likely Seeping Into PA Drinking Water

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

The New ‘Dallas’: Sex, Scandal and U.S. Energy Policy!

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

North Dakota’s Oil Boom Brings Damage Along With Prosperity

by Nicholas Kusnetz,

New Study Predicts Frack Fluids Can Migrate to Aquifers Within Years

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

ALEC and ExxonMobil Push Loopholes in Fracking Chemical Disclosure Rules

by Cora Currier,

Four Big Takeaways From This Week’s Fracking Talk

by Blair Hickman,

The Best Watchdog Journalism On Fracking

by Blair Hickman and Cora Currier,

So, Is Dimock’s Water Really Safe to Drink?

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

What the Frack is in That Water?

by Lena V. Groeger,

What the Frack is in That Water?

by Lena V. Groeger,

New York Court Affirms Towns’ Powers to Ban Fracking

by Lena V. Groeger,

Federal Rules to Disclose Fracking Chemicals Could Come with Exceptions

by Lena V. Groeger,

From Gung-Ho to Uh-Oh: Charting the Government’s Moves on Fracking

by Lena V. Groeger,

From Gung-Ho to Uh-Oh: Charting the Government’s Moves on Fracking

by Lena V. Groeger,

Years After Evidence of Fracking Contamination, EPA to Supply Drinking Water to Homes in Pa. Town

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

EPA Sees Risks to Water, Workers In New York Fracking Rules

by Joaquin Sapien,

Fracking Cracks the Public Consciousness in 2011

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Oh, Canada's Become a Home for Record Fracking

by Nicholas Kusnetz,

Feds Link Water Contamination to Fracking for the First Time

by Abrahm Lustgarten and Nicholas Kusnetz,

Energy Dept. Panel Warns of Environmental Toll of Current Gas Drilling Practices

by Nicholas Kusnetz,

EPA Finds Compound Used in Fracking in Wyoming Aquifer

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

EPA Plans to Issue Rules Covering Fracking Wastewater

by Nicholas Kusnetz,

Doctors Ask New York to Study Health Impacts Before Allowing Fracking

by Nicholas Kusnetz,

Pennsylvania Governor Proposes Fee on Gas Drillers

by Nicholas Kusnetz,

Science Lags as Health Problems Emerge Near Gas Fields

by Abrahm Lustgarten and Nicholas Kusnetz,

Who Are America’s Top 10 Gas Drillers?

by Nicholas Kusnetz,

Report for Obama Questions Effectiveness of Gas Drilling Regulations

by Nicholas Kusnetz,

N.Y. Enviro Commissioner Expects Little From EPA Fracking Study

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Does an Old EPA Fracking Study Provide Proof of Contamination?

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

EPA Proposes New Rules on Emissions Released by Fracking

by Nicholas Kusnetz,

State Fracking Rules Could Allow Drilling Near New York City Water Supply Tunnels

by Nicholas Kusnetz,

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

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Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

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Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

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