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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

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

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

New York State Bans Fracking

New York's Gas Rush Poses Environmental Threat

New York State of Fracking: A ProPublica Explainer

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

Aggressive Tactic on the Fracking Front

In Fracking Hotbed, a Muted Approach to Regulation

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

Chesapeake Energy’s $5 Billion Shuffle

Drilling for Certainty: The Latest in Fracking Health Studies

Unfair Share: How Oil and Gas Drillers Avoid Paying Royalties

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

EPA’s Abandoned Wyoming Fracking Study One Retreat of Many

Another Layer to Rendell’s Fracking Connections

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

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

Update: State Oil and Gas Regulators Still Spread Thin

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

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

North Dakota’s Oil Boom Brings Damage Along With Prosperity

New Study Predicts Frack Fluids Can Migrate to Aquifers Within Years

ALEC and ExxonMobil Push Loopholes in Fracking Chemical Disclosure Rules

Four Big Takeaways From This Week’s Fracking Talk

The Best Watchdog Journalism On Fracking

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

What the Frack is in That Water?

What the Frack is in That Water?

New York Court Affirms Towns’ Powers to Ban Fracking

Federal Rules to Disclose Fracking Chemicals Could Come with Exceptions

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

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

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

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

Fracking Cracks the Public Consciousness in 2011

Oh, Canada's Become a Home for Record Fracking

Feds Link Water Contamination to Fracking for the First Time

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

EPA Finds Compound Used in Fracking in Wyoming Aquifer

EPA Plans to Issue Rules Covering Fracking Wastewater

Doctors Ask New York to Study Health Impacts Before Allowing Fracking

Pennsylvania Governor Proposes Fee on Gas Drillers

Science Lags as Health Problems Emerge Near Gas Fields

Who Are America’s Top 10 Gas Drillers?

Report for Obama Questions Effectiveness of Gas Drilling Regulations

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

Does an Old EPA Fracking Study Provide Proof of Contamination?

EPA Proposes New Rules on Emissions Released by Fracking

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

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.

Photo of Sharon Lerner
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.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
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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