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Tribal advocates keep up legal pressure for fair political maps; 12-member jury sworn in for Trump's historic criminal trial; Healthcare decision planning important for CT residents; Debt dilemma poll: Hoosiers wrestle with college costs.

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Civil Rights activists say a court ruling could end the right to protest in three southern states, a federal judge lets January 6th lawsuits proceed against former President Trump and police arrest dozens at a Columbia University Gaza protest.

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Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

EPA Proposes New Fracking Standards

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Thursday, September 29, 2011   

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding hearings this week on new nationwide environmental standards for the process known as fracking. The EPA is proposing changes to fracking emissions standards, requiring wells to be fitted with a special piece of equipment to separate oil and gas from fracking byproducts. Those byproducts have been linked to air and water pollution in New Mexico, with some people claiming their health has been harmed.

Retired EPA scientist Weston Wilson has testified, saying the new standards are similar to those currently on the books in some states that are not being enforced on a consistent basis.

"It would require this produced water that comes back after a fracking job to be collected, in a process called a 'green completion.' Right now, the industry does not do this."

Industry representatives counter that the equipment is expensive, health problems have not been proven, and new technologies are already being implemented to erase the need for treating the wastewater.

David Ellenberger, Colorado-based regional outreach coordinator with the National Wildlife Federation, says the EPA is taking a big step in the right direction.

"This is a win-win for both the environment and the economy. The fact of the matter is that these rules are long overdue."

The equipment would not only capture contaminants, but also recover oil and gas that slips through the current processing.

The agency must take final action on the proposal by Feb. 28, 2012.

The EPA site for the proposed fracking regulations is www.epa.gov.



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