Despite the
environmental and health impacts of current methods of extracting natural gas, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not have a clear position on hydraulic fracturing, aka "fracking." Even though fracking is associated with
numerous problems, the EPA appears to be of two minds on the controversial practice behind America's natural gas boom. Although each state is responsible for its own monitoring of fracking, the agency has nonetheless waded into the divisive debate on more than one occasion.
While the EPA has yet to establish a clear position, the agency does have a history of protecting the public welfare and managing fracking issues. In 2010, the EPA invoked its rarely used emergency authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act, to require fracking pioneer Range Resources to provide drinking water and install meters to measure methane levels.
