Exclusive: Censored EPA PA Fracking Water Contamination Presentation Published for First Time

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DeSmogBlog has obtained a copy of anย Obama Administration Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fracking groundwater contamination PowerPointย presentation describing a then-forthcoming study’s findings in Dimock,ย Pennsylvania.ย 

The PowerPoint presentation reveals a clear link between hydraulic fracturing (โ€œfrackingโ€) for shale gas in Dimock and groundwater contamination, but was censored by the Obama Administration. Instead, the EPA issued an official desk statement in July 2012 – in the thick of election year – saying the water in Dimock was safe forย consumption.

Titled โ€œIsotech-Stable Isotype Analysis: Determinining the Origin of Methane and Its Effets on the Aquifer,โ€ the PowerPoint presentation concludes that in Cabot Oil and Gas’ Dimock Gesford 2 well, โ€œDrilling creates pathways, either temporary or permanent, that allows gas to migrate to the shallow aquifer near [the] surfaceโ€ฆIn some cases, these gases disrupt groundwaterย quality.โ€ย ย 

Other charts depict Cabot’s Gesford 3 and 9 wells as doing much of the same, allowing methane to migrate up to aquifersย to unprecedented levels – not coincidentally – coinciding with the wells being fracked.ย The PowerPoint’s conclusions areย damning.ย 

โ€œMethane is released during the drilling and perhaps during the fracking process and other gas well work,โ€ the presentation states. โ€œMethane is at significantly higher concentrations in the aquifers after gas drilling and perhaps as a result of fracking and other gas well workโ€ฆMethane and other gases released during drilling (including air from the drilling) apparently cause significant damage to the waterย quality.โ€

Despite the findings, the official EPA desk statement concluded any groundwater contamination in Dimock was โ€œnaturallyย occurring.โ€

โ€œEPA found hazardous substances, specifically arsenic, barium or manganese, all of which are also naturally occurring substances, in well water at five homes at levels that could present a health concern,โ€ read the EPA desk statement. โ€œEPA has provided the residents with all of their sampling results and has no further plans to conduct additional drinking water sampling inย Dimock.โ€

Two EPA whistleblowers recently approached theย American Tradition Institute and revealed politics were at-play in the decision to censor the EPA‘s actual findings in Dimock. At the heart of the cover-up was former EPA head Lisaย Jackson.ย 

Former EPA Head Lisa Jackson’s Role in Censoringย Reportย 

EnergyWire‘s Mikeย Soraghan explainedย the studies were dropped – according to one of the unidentified whistleblowers close to the field team in Dimock – โ€œout of fear the inquiries would hurt President Obama’s re-electionย chances.โ€ย 

Though the two EPA career employees’ย initial findings pointed to water contamination in Dimock – as seen in the PowerPoint presentation – their superiors told them to stop the investigation, in turn motivating them to blow theย whistle.

One of the whistleblowers said he came forward due to witnessing โ€œpatently unethical and possibility illegal acts conducted by EPAย management.โ€

โ€œI have for over a year now worked within the system to try and make right the injustice and apparent unethical acts I witnessed. I have not been alone in this effort,โ€ the unnamed whistleblower told Soraghan. โ€œI took an oath when I became a federal employee that I assume veryย solemnly.โ€

Former EPA Head Lisa Jackson, now Apple Environmental Advisor; Photo Credit: Wikimediaย Commons

At the center of the management team overseeing the false desk statement: former EPA head Lisa Jackson, who now works as Apple’s top environmental advisor. Jackson was recently replaced by just-confirmed EPA head Gina McCarthy.

This was revealed by the other whistleblower, who as part of the regular duties of his job, was a member of the โ€œHQ-Dimockโ€ email listserv. On that list, Jackson went by the pseudonymย โ€Richard Windsorโ€ as a way to shield her real name from potential Freedom of Information Actย requests.ย 

โ€œMany members of the email groupโ€ฆwere lawyers and members of Lisa Jackson’s inner political circle,โ€ explained Soraghan.

Key Freedom of Information Actย Filed

American Tradition Instituteย has filed two FOIA‘s in response to the whistleblowers comingย forward.ย 

โ€œOne FOIA request seeks certain e-mails, text messages, or instant messages of three specified EPA field staff which are to, from or make reference to the White House or EPA HQ,โ€ explained ATI. โ€œThe second FOIA request focuses on emails sent as part of the โ€˜HQ-Dimockโ€™ discussion group. Both requests cover the seven-month period from December 1, 2011 through June 30,ย 2012.โ€

Natural Resources Defense Councilย – which has also been critical of the EPA on this issue – is suspiciousย of ATI‘s motives in thisย case.

ATI is more well-known for denying climate change’s existence and โ€œClimateGateโ€ in particular.ย Yet, when push comes to shove, NRDC‘s Kate Sinding approves of ATI‘s FOIA filing and looks forward to what itย discovers.

โ€œIt appears to be an attempt to bully EPA out of these cases,โ€ Sinding told EnergyWire. โ€œIf their request results in getting more information about the decisionmaking, that’s good information for everyone. But I question theirย motivation.โ€

โ€œHide It, Drop It, Forget Aboutย Itโ€

The real question at the heart of the matter: What were the EPA‘s motives for doing an about-face on a key multi-year tax-payer subsidizedย study?

โ€œIt is unconscionable that, in the name of political expediency, the Obama Administration suppressed key information that would have connected the dots between fracking and water contamination,โ€ย Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director ofย Food and Water Watchย toldย DeSmogBlog.ย โ€œGina McCarthy must put the health and safety of Americans first and prevent the agency from succumbing to politicalย pressure.โ€

Scott Elyย – aย former Cabot employeeย and Dimock resident who has three small children andย whose water was contaminated by Cabotย – expressed similar despair over EPA abandoning ship in this high-profileย study.ย 

โ€œWhen does anybody just stand by the truth? Why is it that we have a bunch of people in Washington, DC who are trying to manipulate the truth of what’s happening to people in Dimock because of the industry?,โ€ Ely askedย rhetorically.ย 

Ely says he keeps an open line of communications with EPA employees, who regularly check in and caution him not to use his water. The employees remain unidentified for fear of retribution by EPAย upper-levelย management.

โ€œWe thought EPA was going to come in and be our savior. And what’d they do? They said the truth can’t be known: hide it, drop it, forget aboutย it.โ€

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Steve Horn is the owner of the consultancy Horn Communications & Research Services, which provides public relations, content writing, and investigative research work products to a wide range of nonprofit and for-profit clients across the world. He is an investigative reporter on the climate beat for over a decade and former Research Fellow for DeSmog.

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