I've blogged before about the fracking loopholes. The oil and gas industry has gotten favors from Congress for years, and is exempt from some of the most important provisions in our federal environmental laws. Thanks to this special treatment, the oil and gas industry doesn't have to abide by sections of the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, National Environmental Policy Act, or the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (the federal law that protects the public from toxic waste).
These loopholes allow the oil and gas industry to pollute our air and water at higher levels than other industries and, because of the loopholes, we have less information on the pollution generated by the industry and the impacts.
Members of Congress are taking notice and have been introducing legislation to close these loopholes. Right now there are five bills pending in Congress that would force the oil and gas industry to follow the same environmental laws as other industries and help protect clean air and clean water. These five bills are the Frack Pack. Tell your House and Senate representatives to co-sponsor these bills to protect clean air and clean water. NRDC has provided a way for you to easily write to your representatives; click here to take action.