"The EPA's internal watchdog has confirmed that the EPA was justified in stepping in to protect residents who were and still are in imminent danger," said Sharon Wilson, Gulf Regional Organizer of Earthworks. She continued, "Now we need an investigation as to whether political corruption caused EPA to withdraw that protection."
EPA invoked its power to protect drinking water in 2010, prompting Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe to request the Inspector General's investigation in 2011. EPA withdrew its legal complaint against Range Resources in 2012 despite having a report from an independent scientist showing that a gas well drilled by Range likely polluted nearby water supplies.
EPA's withdrawal from Parker County appears to be part of a larger pattern, in which the Obama administration has blocked or abandoned investigations of whether drilling or hydraulic fracturing polluted drinking water. In addition to the case in Parker County, reports in major news outlets indicate that the Obama administration caused the EPA to abandon studies of potential drilling or fracking pollution in Pavillion, WY and Dimock, PA despite evidence of drilling-related harm.
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