Effects of Fracking on Drinking Water
Last week the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittees on Environment and Energy held a joint hearing to review the Environmental Protection Agency’s research into the effects of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on drinking water. It was reported that House Republicans “slammed . . . EPA attempts to link hydraulic fracturing to water pollution” outside the scope of the study.
Despite a recent Department of Energy study showing no such drinking water contamination, research by RFF experts has found that there does exist a “disconnect between the views of experts . . . and the views of the public regarding impacts on wells and aquifers.” They noted that in general, the public is concerned about possible contamination of groundwater, and this perception could be negatively impacting the prices of homes that are dependent on well water.
Impacts of Sea Level Rise
A recent report from the Maryland Commission on Climate Change projects that the state should “plan for relative sea-level rise of 2.1 feet by 2050.” It also notes that planning for sea level rise is challenging because of uncertainties in future greenhouse gas emissions and sea level rise modeling, “particularly regarding the rate of loss of the mass of polar ice sheets.”
RFF University Fellow James Sanchirico of the University of California, Davis reviewed several policy options to help communities adapt to rising sea levels and coastal erosion, such as banning seaside development beyond a certain boundary and developing rolling easements. A recent RFF First Wednesday seminar also examined methods for quantifying the uncertainty around melting ice sheets, including the possibility that sea levels could rise higher than expected. A presentation by Wily Aspinall of the University of Bristol explained the “Cooke Method” for developing scientific data from the judgment of experts, which was developed by RFF Senior Fellow Roger Cooke. Read more about how this method can be applied to predicting impacts of natural disasters here.
