Fracking's backers stand pat
A federal report linking hydraulic fracturing with water contamination is providing fresh ammunition to opponents of the oil and gas production technology, but advocates showed no signs Friday of giving ground.
In a draft report released Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency said its studies of a hydraulic fracturing site in Pavillion, Wyo., found hydraulic fracturing fluids and chemicals associated with gas production in deep water wells.
Hydraulic fracturing involves blasting a mix of water, sand and chemicals deep underground and at high pressures to break up dense shale rock and extract oil and natural gas.
The industry says the process is safe, but it's drawn strong opposition from environmentalists.
Well before Thursday's report, state and federal regulators were developing new standards on water use at fracturing sites, well design and disclosure of chemicals used in the process.
The Interior Department and its Bureau of Land Management are preparing a proposal that would expand existing standards governing the integrity of wells drilled on 700 million acres of public lands.
Raitt agreed that Air Canada employees have given concessions in the past, especially when "outside forces" like the 9/11 attacks and the global financial crisis hurt business. But she noted that the government has not decided if it will take extra