Fake News Also Happens When the Media Ignore Important Findings

By Dr. Merrill Matthews Institute for Policy Innovation Did you notice the back-to-back media coverage of the new study conducted in Ohios Utica Shale that found zero evidence that hydraulic fracturing had any impact on local groundwater? What study you ask?  Well thats the problem. Whenever some group announces that it suspects fracking is contaminating groundwater or seeping into tap water the media are all over it with print broadcast and social media putting the suspicions and accusations in front of everyone. But if a reputable study concludes it just aint happening ... silence. The journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessmenthas just released the results of a study examining whether methane (CH₄) from fracked wells in the Utica Shale is entering the groundwater. The study authors all university-based academics conclude: We found no relationship between CH₄ concentration or source in groundwater and proximity to active gas well sites. No significant changes in CH₄ concentration CH₄ isotopic composition pH or conductivity in water wells were observed during the study period. They agree that methane can be in groundwater: These data indicate that high levels of biogenic CH₄ can be present in groundwater wells but they stress that at least in their investigations it is independent of hydraulic fracturing activity .... This isnt an outlier study. Virtually every other credible study has concluded exactly the same thingincluding a major multi-year study by the Environmental Protection Agency. The 2015 EPA analysis was an extensive five-year compilation of nearly 1000 different data sourcesincluding science and engineering journals government studies and peer-reviewed EPA reports. Thomas A. Burke an EPA science adviser was quoted as calling it the most complete compilation of scientific data to date. The report initially found no link between fracking and widespread systemic impacts on drinking water.  However after pushback from Obama officials and environmentalists the EPA watered down (so to speak) its conclusion by stressing that localized spills and human error could have an impact on groundwater. How about another one? A 2015 study conducted by the California Council on Science and Technology and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found no documented instances of hydraulic fracturing or acid simulations directly causing groundwater contamination in California. So the good news is that your water is almost certainly safe from fracking-related contamination. The bad news is that the media almost never report the good news. Weve heard a lot about fake news lately in which media reports make claims that arent true. But ignoring for political reasons important findings and reports that are true can also be fake news. Todays PolicyByte was written by Dr. Merrill Matthews resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation.