Lawmaker praises EPA report on hydraulic fracturing's water impact

U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) released a statement on Thursday responding to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) report on the impact of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, on drinking water.

“Today is a good day for American energy and the over-60,000 hard-working taxpayers in Louisiana's oil and gas industry,” Scalise said.

The report, a compilation of information from nearly 1,000 sources, found that while fracking has the potential to contaminate drinking water, it has not yet done so on a systemic or widespread scale. This conclusion is in line with arguments industry groups have been making to discourage increased federal oversight on the practice.

"President Obama's EPA has finally acknowledged what experts have been saying for years, and I am pleased that the administration, through this study, has finally confirmed that hydraulic fracturing does not harm drinking water, as radical environmentalists have falsely claimed," Scalise said.

The report, however, did mention ways in which fracking could negatively impact drinking water, including water shortages, due to the high levels of water needed for the method.