NPR's Morning Edition on Friday actually covered the EPA's new report that found that fracking for oil and natural gas "has not caused widespread pollution in drinking water," as host Renee Montagne put it. The liberal public radio network's report came as ABC and NBC maintained their blackout on the study on their morning and evening newscasts.
Montagne led into correspondent Jeff Brady's report by spotlighting how the "new report from the Environmental Protection Agency is actually being hailed by the oil and gas industry." She continued that "it concludes that given how widespread fracking has become, there are relatively few documented problems when it comes to the impact on water resources."
Brady included soundbites from EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator Tom Burke, who underlined that the report is "the most comprehensive assessment to date of the scientific information available on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing activities on our drinking water resources;" and Stanford University Professor Rob Jackson, who had a mixed reaction to the study.
The one minute, 45-second segment contrasts with the 19-second news brief from Friday's CBS This Morning, the first mention of the EPA report on the Big Three networks' morning and evening news shows.
The transcript of Jeff Brady's report from Friday's Morning Edition on NPR:
RENEE MONTAGNE: A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency is actually being hailed by the oil and gas industry. The EPA says hydraulic fracturing has not caused widespread pollution in drinking water; and it concludes that given how widespread fracking has become, there are relatively few documented problems when it comes to the impact on water resources.
NPR's Jeff Brady reports.
JEFF BRADY: Fracking is all about water. It takes huge amounts of it, pumped underground with chemicals, to force oil and gas out of dense rocks. And many worry fracking puts nearby clean water at risk.
EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator Tom Burke says this report has valuable knowledge.
TOM BURKE, EPA DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR: It is the most comprehensive assessment to date of the scientific information available on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing activities on our drinking water resources.
BRADY: At Stanford University, environmental scientist Rob Jackson says this is a helpful compilation mostly of work that's already out there. He wishes the EPA would have done more fieldwork – especially in locations like Dimmock, Pennsylvania, where there are known problems.
ROB JACKSON, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: They had proposed to do studies that looked at hydraulic fracturing before, during, and after. None of that work was done. I think that's a missed opportunity.
BRADY: Jackson says this report does contain surprises. He didn't know more than 1,000 wells around the country had been hydraulically fractured directly into drinking water. That's one area of vulnerability the EPA highlighted.
This is just a draft report. It won't be final until other scientists and the public get a chance to review and comment on it. Jeff Brady, NPR News.
