On June 4, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency put out a news release entitled "EPA Releases Draft Assessment on the Potential Impacts to Drinking Water Resources from Hydraulic Fracturing Activities" which summarizes the results of it's hydraulic fracturing study.

The study documents include an Executive Summary and a Full Draft Assessment.

The EPA makes note of the fact that the assessment is "a draft for review purposes only and does not constitute Agency policy."

The "Major Findings" section of the Executive Summary states the following:

From our assessment, we conclude there are above and below ground mechanisms by which hydraulic fracturing activities have the potential to impact drinking water resources. These mechanisms include water withdrawals in times of, or in areas with, low water availability; spills of hydraulic fracturing fluids and produced water; fracturing directly into underground drinking water resources; below ground migration of liquids and gases; and inadequate treatment and discharge of wastewater.

We did not find evidence that these mechanisms have led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States. Of the potential mechanisms identified in this report, we found specific instances where one or more mechanisms led to impacts on drinking water resources, including contamination of drinking water wells. The number of identified cases, however, was small compared to the number of hydraulically fractured wells.

This finding could reflect a rarity of effects on drinking water resources, but may also be due to other limiting factors. These factors include: insufficient pre- and post-fracturing data on the quality of drinking water resources; the paucity of long-term systematic studies; the presence of other sources of contamination precluding a definitive link between hydraulic fracturing activities and an impact; and the inaccessibility of some information on hydraulic fracturing activities and potential impacts.

In short, the Executive Summary says:

• hydraulic fracturing has the potential to impact drinking water resources
• the study found no evidence of widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States
• the study did find specific instances of impacts on drinking water resources, but the number of instances was small compared to the number of gas wells
• the findings of the study might be misleading due to other limiting factors

Those who support hydraulic fracturing will most likely view the findings as confirmation that hydraulic fracturing is safe. Environmentalists, and those opposed will see the findings as proof that hydraulic fracturing is not safe. To read an unbiased, balanced assessment of the study's findings, read an article entitled "Clearing Up Claims on EPA Fracking Study" on factcheck.org.

More:

• Both Sides Claim Victory Over EPA Fracking Study | NPR
• U.S. Department of Interior Releases Final Rule for Safe Fracking on Federal and Tribal Lands | Health and Wellness Resource
• New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo Announces Fracking Ban | Health and Wellness Resource
• Natural Gas Extraction - Hydraulic Fracturing | epa.gov