According to the House Energy and Commerce committee, the three largest hydraulic fracturing companies may be using diesel fuel or diesel-based solutions, along with other hazardous chemicals, in their hydraulic fracturing fluids.

This potentially violates the Safe Drinking Water Act.

On Tuesday the Onondaga county legislature voted to prohibit hydrofracking on county property until more is known about its effects on health and the environment. The legislature also passed on non-binding resolution calling on law makers to pass laws ensuring public protection from the environmental and health risks associated with fracking.

Onondaga county's actions are a promising step for communities dealing with fracking. Current regulations are inadequate, which is why we need to support the FRAC act and stronger state regulations governing the drilliing process.

For More Information:

• As NY mulls hydrofracking regulations, gas companies lease land in CNY watersheds, by Delen Goldberg in the Post-Standard. 12/28/09
• Onondaga County Legislature bans hydrofracking on county property, by Tim Knauss in the Post-Standard. 2/2/10.
• EARTHWORKS hydraulic fracturing page

Today on NPR's Science Friday our Gwen Lachelt and industry's Kathleen Sgamma discussed hydraulic fracturing with Ira Flatow.

You can download the audio file here.

Exxon, America's biggest oil company, is planning on merging with XTO, a $25 billion oil and gas drilling company heavily invested in hydraulic fracturing of shale gas deposits.

Whether or not you think that's a good thing, it's causing a bit of furor in part because Exxon has included some language pertaining to fracking's regulatory landscape.

What do the recent Pennsylvania and Colorado examples of industry's attempt to suborn reasonable state drilling oversight demonstrate?

The need for federal regulation of drilling/fracking.

Updated.  Update II.

While the natural gas industry maintains that stronger regulations aren't needed, its track record continues to prove otherwise.

On Tuesday, the Wayne Independent reported that three "substantial" toxic spills by a fracker have occurred in less than one week in Dimock Township, Pennsylvania.

More proof that the FRAC Act is, contrary to industry claims, quite necessary.

Yesterday, the House Natural Resources Committee held the second of two hearings on Chairman Nick Rahall's bill H.R. 3534, the "Consolidated Land, Energy and Aquatic Resources Act", which contains a number of modest reforms to the federal government's oil and gas programs.

The oil and gas industry, all too predictably, can be expected to fire back that any reform directed at their business is unnecessary, prohibitively costly to this multi-billion dollar industry, and could severely limit our nation's gas supplies.

The drilling industry argues that state regulations, and industry self-policing, are adequate to protect our drinking water from hydraulic fracturing. Experience shows us otherwise.