West Virginia Report Says Fracking No Threat to Air Quality

A state study says no new rules are needed to protect West Virginia’s air quality from natural gas drilling.

State lawmakers were presented with the study’s results during an interim committee meeting this week.

The report was created by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and Gas. It looked at the impact of fracking, a process in which water and sand is injected underground to access deposits of shale oil and gas. Among other things, the report relied on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data at a Monongalia County elementary school.

The report says there were no indications of a public health emergency or threat based on air quality monitoring data.

Some residents were concerned about a drilling operation about a mile away from the school.