Poll finds Pennsylvanians concerned over ‘fracking’

    A survey released Tuesday shows concern over natural gas drilling among Pennsylvania residents is strong, and crosses party lines.

     

    The poll from a Massachusetts based think tank looked at public opinion regarding the drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing and its impact on drinking water.

    Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” sends high-pressured water, sand and a mixture of chemicals deep into the Earth to help release natural gas.

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    Tapping the newly accessible Marcellus Shale formation has created a gas boom in Pennsylvania. And it turns out Pennsylvanians know a lot more about “fracking” than people across the country. Of those who say they are aware of fracking, 81 percent say they are concerned about its impact on drinking water.

    Pam Solo, the executive director of the Civil Society Institute, which commissioned the survey, said that Pennsylvania “is right in the crosshairs of fracking because that’s where most of the eastern U.S. drilling is taking place.”

    “So that’s where we are seeing early reports of contaminated drinking water,” she continued.

    Solo said more than two out of three Pennsylvanians support a tax on the industry. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points.

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