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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Fight Over Fracking Goes Another Round in NY and Nation

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Friday, September 30, 2011   

NEW YORK - It was a big week for new proposed federal and state regulations for hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking."

The federal Environmental Protection Agency wants all fracking wells fitted with special equipment to separate oil and gas from byproducts. Those byproducts have been implicated in air and water quality problems, with links to serious health conditions for nearby residents. The industry says the new rules are costly and unnecessary, but Wes Gillingham, program director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, disagrees. He says the EPA has a real opportunity to help states such as New York by setting strict national standards.

"If they had really comprehensive air quality standards, that would address some of the direct health impacts that New York state hasn't looked at."

The same day the EPA concluded hearings on the proposed federal rules, New York issued proposed state regulations for fracturing. Some environmentalists have accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of moving too quickly on the regulations and ignoring some scientific data, but Cuomo says he won't allow fracking in New York unless it is environmentally safe.

Retired EPA scientist Weston Wilson says the new national requirement really isn't so new. He says it's similar to rules already on the books in some states, which are not consistently enforced.

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

The equipment recaptures most of the gas that now is wasted, which advocates say would not only help the environment but also would save the industry money - to the tune of $30 million per year.

David Ellenberger, regional outreach coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation, says the EPA is taking a step in the right direction.

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

The EPA says the new rules would reduce carcinogenic air pollutants by 30 percent annually, as well as cutting overall smog by 25 percent. The agency must take final action on the proposal by Feb. 28. The first hearing on New York's proposed rules is set for Danville in mid November.

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



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