The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said for the first time that fracking could have caused groundwater pollution in Wyoming, but state officials there apparently are challenging the notion, the Dayton Daily News reports.
Fracking refers to the process used to extract oil and natural gas from the underground shale deposits, which are expected to be an economic boon for Ohio in the next several years. But opponents worry that the drilling process could contaminate drinking water, a claim the EPA now is considering, the newspaper reports.
In Pavillion, Wyo., the fracking was close to water wells, but drilling in most areas goes deeper than the groundwater level, the newspaper reports.
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/morning_call/2011/12/epa-cites-fracking-as-possible.html