Professor Faces Displeasure of Peers for Stating that Fracking Doesn't Contaminate Water
Professor Siegel isn't conforming to the view of his peers |
In debunking nationally acclaimed research, a Syracuse University professor recently testified to Congress that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, actually does not contaminate water.
Donald Siegel, professor of Earth Science, testified his findings on April 23 before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
The two-hour hearing, dedicated solely to fracking, sought to “examine the science behind claims that hydraulic fracturing causes groundwater contamination and other environmental concerns.”
Siegel’s findings contradict highly touted research from scientists at Duke University, who since 2010 have released studies that indicate fracking is responsible for contaminating water with methane.
Siegel has infuriated his peers, who have clung to the Duke studies as proof that fracking harms the environment and have tried to discredit Siegel’s findings in a variety of ways.
But Siegel has stood firm, and relayed his recent findings to Congress: He has found no relationship between water contamination and fracking. Siegel’s findings come from his recent study, published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology on March 12.
“The lack of a point-source contamination of water wells from migrating methane from oil and gas wells suggests that most dissolved methane found in water wells comes from natural sources,” Siegel’sreport stated.Continue reading by clicking here.
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