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After months of deliberation, the Hydraulic Fracturing Panel of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) released its “Review of the EPA’s draft Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources” this week, quietly posting it to the website. Anti-fracking activists hoping for a damning review of EPA’s draft fracking report will be very disappointed: it does not ask EPA to modify or eliminate its topline finding of “no widespread, systemic impacts.”

Here’s what you need to know:

Fact #1: SAB affirms EPA’s topline finding of “no widespread, systemic impacts” to groundwater resources

The recommendations state,

“Of particular concern in this regard is the high-level conclusion statement on page ES-6 that ‘We did not find evidence that these mechanisms have led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States.’ Most members of the SAB Panel find that this statement does not clearly describe the system(s) of interest (e.g., groundwater, surface water), the scale of impacts (i.e., local or regional), nor the definitions of ‘systemic’ and ‘widespread’. The SAB observes that the statement has been interpreted by readers and members of the public in many different ways. Most members of the SAB Panel conclude that the statement requires clarification and additional explanation (e.g., discuss what is meant by “any observed change” in the definition of “impact” in Appendix J, and consider including modifying adjectives before the words “widespread, systemic impact” in the statement on page ES-6). Four of the 30 members of the Panel have concluded that this statement is clear, concise and accurate.” (emphasis added)

The important point here is that while the SAB panel makes some suggestions to EPA, it is not asking the agency to change the phrase “no widespread, systemic impacts” – it is asking EPA to include modifying adjectives before the words “no widespread, systemic impacts.” In other words, EPA’s topline finding stands; the SAB panel ...