EPA may get $14 million for fracking research

    President Obama’s spending plan for fiscal year 2013 trims 1.2 percent from the Environmental Protection Agency budget, but dedicates $14 million to research on the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing.

    EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said the funds would build on current efforts to study the impact of fracking on drinking water.

    “In collaboration with the Department of Energy and the US Geological Survey, we will begin to assess the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on air quality, water quality, and ecosystems,” Jackson said.

    The EPA said it will release preliminary results of its current drinking water study this year.

    • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

    The budget also proposes an extra $15 million for cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. A huge restoration effort is already under way in which the federal government set limits on sediment runoff from Pennsylvania, Delaware, four other states and the District of Columbia.

    Funds under the new budget also will be dedicated to researching endocrine disrupters and green infrastructure.

    WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

    Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

    Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal