A Pennsylvania judge found no evidence supporting claims that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, had contaminated groundwater.
Water testing laboratory TestAmerica engaged in “fraud and civil conspiracy” with the natural gas company Range Resources when it said fracking hadn’t cause groundwater contamination, environmentalists alleged. Four government agencies, including Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), also rejected claims made in the litigation against Range Resources.
The case was brought to the court by a family living in Washington County, Penn. who alleged their water-well is contaminated by Range Resources and that TestAmerica committed fraud to cover this up. The family’s case is supported by environmental groups.
Washington County Judge William Nalitz ruled that “there were no altered results” made by TestAmerica and that the incident “does not constitute fraud according to Pennsylvania law.” Nalitz also found that there was no evidence TestAmerica lied and dismissed the case.
“The anti-fracking movement has focused almost all its attention on four alleged instances of groundwater contamination ‚Äì Dimock, Pa.; Pavillion, Wyo.; Parker County, Texas and Washington Co., Pa. ‚Äì and each claim has been debunked repeatedly by independent parties,” Seth Whitehead, a researcher for the pro-industry group Energy In Depth, told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
“The EPA’s landmark groundwater study and dozens of peer-reviewed studies have also confirmed the fracking process has not contaminated groundwater,” Whitehead said.
