CNX’s “radical transparency” data provides incomplete information and heavily downplays the dangers of fracking.
Key Findings
Governor Shapiro’s Administration can act today to increase no-drill zones using the authority granted in the Clean Streams Law, the Oil and Gas Act, and/or the Clean Air Act.
The DEP should also increase its capacity for oversight of existing regulations. The oil and gas industry is often granted exemptions from existing rules, or their compliance with mandates such as air pollution limits go unenforced.
Pennsylvanians need a comprehensive health response to fracking now, and Governor Shapiro should follow through on his statements as Attorney General and enact the recommendations suggested by the 43rd Grand Jury.
Overview
In November 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro announced a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and CNX Resources Corporation, a fracked gas company that has a history of safety violations and noncompliance fines. Some of the stated goals of the partnership are to provide “radical transparency” on the health and environmental impacts of fracking, improve disclosure of fracking chemicals, and increase the distance of no-drill zones between new fracking infrastructure and homes, schools, and hospitals. In the press release for the partnership, Governor Shapiro announced “My Administration is setting a new standard for Pennsylvania’s natural gas to be produced in the most responsible and sustainable way anywhere in the world.”
These statements starkly contrast with the Governor’s previous attitude towards the fracking industry. In 2020, after a two-year investigation, the 43rd Grand Jury found evidence that those living in close proximity to fracking were exposed to high levels of air and water pollution that affected their health. “This report is about preventing the failures of our past from continuing into our future,” said then Attorney General Shapiro. “It’s about the big fights we must take on to protect Pennsylvanians — to ensure that their voices are not drowned out by those with bigger wallets and better connections. There remains a profound gap between our Constitutional mandate for clean air and pure water, and the realities facing Pennsylvanians who live in the shadow of fracking giants and their investors.”
We have analyzed the lack of transparency in the CNX Radical Transparency plan and compiled the extensive data that already exists on the health effects that have been associated with fracking in Pennsylvania. Instead of partnering with an untrustworthy company, Governor Shapiro should pursue actions that will protect Pennsylvanians such as mandating no-drill zones of at least 2,500 feet for all operators and enacting stronger oversight over fracking operations.
CNX’s Radical Transparency Plan
CNX outlines its Radical Transparency plan on its website, and states that “recent studies and media headlines have left many confused and uncertain,” and promises to “clarify the impacts of natural gas development on the surrounding communities.” The CEO of CNX Nick Deiuliis hopes the partnership will “definitively confirm, for all stakeholders, that there are no adverse human health issues related to responsible natural gas development,” and show that the “natural gas industry is essential, responsible, and inherently good for society at large.”
The Radical Transparency plan is designed to capture information about air quality, water quality, and radioactivity levels throughout the construction, drilling, and completion phases of well pad development through six months of production. While data is collected CNX has volunteered to expand its no-drill zones (also called protective buffers or setbacks) to 600 feet for homes and 2,500 feet for schools and hospitals. However, this “radical transparency” plan contains more than a few opacities.
Data Limitations and Misconduct
CNX has released data from its Washington County NV110 monitoring site since last October 2023. In early April 2024, they expanded their data release to include a total of nine monitoring locations in southwestern Pennsylvania. Most of the sites are well pads with multiple Marcellus or Utica fracking wells, and two sites are compressor stations.
The air quality data collection is the most robust part of the plan. Daily and hourly measurements of particulate matter (PM2.5) and bi-weekly measurements of BTEX volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are presented for each monitoring site through data dashboards. Methane monitoring will be conducted using optical gas imaging cameras every calendar quarter, supplemented with quarterly satellite and fixed-wing-based methane observations and handheld methane monitors for daily routine maintenance activities. This information is intended to produce what CNX calls “measured data that dispels any misconception that we are not operating within acceptable standards.”
The DEP has not acted on misconceptions in the past when they issued CNX violations for misconduct including unauthorized waste discharges onto the ground and into the Waters of the Commonwealth, failure to implement and maintain erosion and sediment control plans, and unlawful drilling or production activity. In 2021, CNX pleaded no contest to criminal charges filed by then Attorney General Shapiro for misreporting emissions at a pipeline maintenance station, and in 2022 the company paid $200,000 in fines for spilling fracking fluid. According to DEP records, CNX has been cited with 542 violations from 101 site inspections over the last four years (since the Grand Jury report was released on June 25, 2020).
CNX’s water quality protection plan is more vague, and describes pre- and post-drilling groundwater and surface water sampling to measure total dissolved solids (TDS) and minerals such as chloride, sodium, and sulfate. The robustness of this data will depend on the locations, depths, and methods used to complete the testing, which are undisclosed. The drilling and fracking chemical disclosures are posted for each site on the same page as the air monitoring data dashboards, but this inclusion is only meeting basic Pennsylvania requirements after new regulations were released by the DEP at the end of January 2024. An analysis of CNX’s fracking disclosure transparency is provided in the next section.
CNX’s radiation protection page includes a Comprehensive Radiation Protection Plan outlining monthly testing of well pad, compressor station, and storage infrastructure for radiation, including gamma, alpha/beta and radon surveys. This testing is relevant because the fracking process releases radioactive molecules such as uranium and radium from far below ground, which the EPA classifies as Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (TENORM). CNX references a 2015 DEP study, stating on their radiation page that “while the majority of waste streams generated by the oil and gas industry do not pose a risk to workers or the general public, CNX makes proper adjustments to handling, processing, and disposal protocols based on screening, monitoring, and analytical data.”
However, after reviewing public waste records for CNX’s activity in February 2024, it can be seen that CNX sent 400 tons of its fracking sludge and fluid waste to Austin Masters Services in Martins Ferry, Ohio, a facility that has a history of radioactive contamination. In April 2024, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost requested a temporary restraining order against the facility due to its extreme mishandling of waste and the threat it poses to nearby water sources including the Ohio River. This example shows that CNX has not properly adjusted their waste protocols to protect the public from radioactive waste.
Beyond the violations data and the questionable waste disposal, the small scale and self-regulatory nature of the Radical Transparency data collection make its validity questionable. All monitoring and quality assurance will be conducted by an unknown third party company, who is not named therefore their competency and lack of bias cannot be assessed. CNX has complete control over what information is released to the public. Despite being promised, so far there are no methane, water, or radiation testing results or an indication of when they might be available. The limited number of monitoring sites included will likely be held to higher standards than other CNX sites, and no information will be provided on sites that existed before the partnership. Another opacity concerns CNX’s chemical disclosures.
Incomplete and Inconsistent Chemical Disclosures
Several versions of the CNX fracking chemical disclosures exist if you know where to look, and each is presented in a different format. For monitoring well NV110AHSM (API: 37-125-29004) at the NV110 well pad, you can compare the disclosure CNX has uploaded to the Radical Transparency website, the disclosure that was submitted to the national hydraulic fracturing chemical disclosure registry FracFocus, and the disclosure provided to the DEP. You can also view the disclosure through Open-FF, a helpful open source tool developed by Gary Allison that provides FracFocus data with additional extrapolated fields such as mass calculations and hazard summaries based on the EPA’s Computational Toxicology and Exposure Online Resources.
Table 1. Disclosures for Monitoring Well NV110AHSM (API: 37-125-29004)
Source | Search Website | Disclosure |
Radical Transparency website | N/A | NV110 Chemical Disclosure |
PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) | eSubmission Public Search | NV110A PA State Report |
FracFocus | FracFocus – Home | NV110A FracFocus Disclosure |
Open-FF | Disclosure Index of Open-FF | 3712529004 Disclosure |
CNX likens the chemicals they use for fracking to ingredients like household cleaners, food processing additives, and playground sand, but many of the chemicals used to frack NV110AHSM are known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and environmental toxins. Furthermore, all three disclosures are riddled with “trade secrets,” and contain invisible holes such as variable composition distillates and mixtures, described by Gary Allison and Vivian Underhill in a recent FracTracker post.
Table 2. Hazard Chemicals and Opacities in the Fracking Disclosure for CNX Well NV110AHSM (37-125-29004)
Inconsistencies and obscurities are apparent after comparing the different NV110AHSM disclosures by copying the list of ingredients from each source and attempting to match up the ingredients. The Radical Transparency site disclosures appear to be a pared down summary of what appears on FracFocus. The FracFocus disclosures are full of duplicate records, and while it appears at first glance that those duplicates have been removed from the Radical Transparency disclosure, the percent fracking fluid for those duplicated chemicals are doubled on the Radical Transparency disclosure.
The DEP disclosure gives the most detailed and useful information. The DEP disclosure matches up the ingredients of trade name additives with the additive that they comprise, compared to the FracFocus disclosure which lists the trade name additives and ingredients separately. Separating the product names from their ingredients is called a “systems approach”, and was initiated to encourage disclosure of proprietary mixtures while still protecting trade secrets. On the DEP disclosure, you can see additional additives not included on the other disclosures such as StimStream SC 398, CoilSTREAM VB 625, and Ammonium Persulfate. Based on the percentage of the fracking fluid it comprises (0.00131%), StimStream SC 398 could be proprietary ingredient CHEM-STREAM Polymer 10001 or 10002 (also 0.00131%). It is unclear whether the other ingredients found only on the DEP disclosure correspond with the other proprietary ingredients, and perhaps CoilSTREAM VB 625 and Ammonium Persulfate are not included on the Radical Transparency and FracFocus disclosures because the percentage of the fracking fluid they comprise on the DEP disclosure is 0%.
The DEP submission also discloses water sources, and reveals that over half the water used to frack NV110AHSM was recycled water from other fracking operations. Since there are no regulations for recycled water treatment before reuse, the chemicals used at the original fracking well could still be present in the water, introducing new chemicals or increasing the concentration of the ingredients listed on the disclosures. This adds yet another source of uncertainty to the fracking fluid composition.
If radical transparency is the goal, one should not need to go to great lengths to decipher what chemicals are within the fracking fluid. In addition to the problems we found with the Radical Transparency plan and the chemical disclosures, there is additional evidence to suggest that CNX is not a trustworthy partner.
Cherry-Picking Data
CNX is collecting and releasing data that they hope will prove that fracking is safe, but they may be cherry-picking data. After the DEP partnership announcement, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) released a statement and fact sheet in response, similarly to other environmental organizations including FracTracker, Center for Coalfield Justice, and Better Path Coalition. Nick Deiuliis posted a response to this statement in a letter to Dr. Edward C. Ketyer (President of PSR Pennsylvania). Deluliis describes PSR’s criticisms as “shrill fanaticism of a virulent religion” and condemned PSR for “anti-science behavior,” “announcing something to be true with an inference of conclusive evidence backing it, yet knowing there is no such evidence,” and attempting to “trample science and look to replace it with omnipotence based on ideological belief.” In PSR’s fact sheet they cite state-funded DEP sources, so it is unclear why CNX would reject these studies so vehemently.
Existing Health Studies
As part of the CNX agreement, the DEP plans to conduct an independent research study of air quality at two of CNX’s sites. There are already many studies that show fracking is associated with negative effects on human health. Fracking has been linked to negative health and environmental effects through water and soil contamination, air pollution, and exacerbation of climate change through continued use of fossil fuels.
North America
FracTracker Alliance compiled a literature review in 2019 which found that 89% of related literature reported that drilling proximity has negative human health effects including cancer, infant mortality, depression, pneumonia, asthma, skin-related hospitalizations, and other general health symptoms. Other organizations and groups have also compiled data on fracking and its effects on human and environmental health. The Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking references studies that show there is “no evidence that fracking can be practiced in a manner that does not threaten human health directly or without imperiling climate stability upon which human health depends.” The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania published Shale Gas Extraction and Public Health: A Resource Guide in 2020, and The Environmental Health Project compiled the Health Impacts of Shale Gas Development: A Collection of Research in 2023. These compilations report data showing adverse birth outcomes, increased cancer incidence, and negative cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, mental health, and skin impacts. Increased rates of motor vehicle accidents and sexually transmitted infections have been linked to fracking, influenced by the influx of temporary workers to oil and gas industry sites. A 2024 review shows that fracking health studies have been conducted in Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, California, Colorado, New York, and Oklahoma in the United States, as well as in Alberta and British Columbia in Canada.
Pennsylvania
The Texas based oil company Range Resources began the fracking boom accessing the Marcellus Shale beneath Pennsylvania in 2005. According to data from the DEP, as of March 2024 there were 12,932 active, 176 abandoned, 185 regulatory inactive status, 1,219 plugged unconventional wells in Pennsylvania.
Density of Fracking in Pennsylvania
Including active, abandoned, and regulatory inactive status unconventional wells
Over the past ten years, at least 29 peer reviewed studies have demonstrated evidence that close proximity to fracking is associated with negative health effects in Pennsylvania specifically. Non-peer reviewed research in Pennsylvania has also provided important insights. A small pilot study conducted in 2019 by Environmental Health News showed high bioaccumulation of carcinogenic fracking-related chemicals such as benzene, toluene, and naphthalene in the urine samples of residents living in five Southwestern Pennsylvania households located near fracking operations. Studies initiated by the Pennsylvania Department of Health have also found associations between fracking and health effects. A study spurred by Ewing’s sarcoma diagnoses in the Washington County Canon-McMillan school district during the 2018-2019 school year proved inconclusive, but led former Governor Tom Wolf to award $2.5 million to conduct research on communities near fracking activity in Southwestern Pennsylvania. In 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health released the results of the studies produced by that funding, which showed associations between fracking proximity and childhood cancer development, asthma, and adverse birth outcomes.
The following maps show the associations described in these studies geographically. Detailed findings and information about each of the studies reviewed for this report are included in the subsequent table. If a county was included in the study area of a study that found a positive association between fracking and that symptom then that county was included on the symptom map. If a county is not highlighted it does not mean that an association between that symptom and fracking does not exist there. The cancer (3 studies) and mental health (5 studies) maps encompassed studies that looked at participants in a limited number of counties. In all Pennsylvania counties with fracking activity, studies showed an increased rate of asthma and respiratory symptoms (10 studies), increased incidence of adverse birth outcomes (7 studies), an increased rate of heart problems (4 studies), and increased hospitalization rates (3 studies) when comparing those who lived in close proximity to fracking compared to those that lived farther away.
Counties where Studies have shown Increased Asthma and Respiratory Symptoms Related to Living in Close Proximity to Fracking Infrastructure
Including asthma, pneumonia, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, wheezing
Counties where Studies have shown Increased Incidence of Cancer Related to Living in Close Proximity to Fracking Infrastructure
Including childhood lymphoma, urinary bladder cancer, oncology hospitalization
Counties where Studies have shown Increased Incidence of Adverse Birth Outcomes Related to Living in Close Proximity to Fracking Infrastructure
Including low birth weight, babies born small for gestational age, preterm birth, infant mortality
Counties where Studies have shown Increased Hospitalization Rates Related to Living in Close Proximity to Fracking Infrastructure
Including cardiology, dermatology, neurology, oncology, urology, asthma-related
Counties where Studies have shown Increased Rate of Adverse Mental Health Related to Living in Close Proximity to Fracking Infrastructure
Including depression, anxiety, stress
Counties where Studies have shown Increased Rate of Heart Problems Related to Living in Close Proximity to Fracking Infrastructure
Including heart attack, heart failure, ischemic heart disease
Table 3. Studies on Fracking and Public Health in Pennsylvania
Study | Main findings | Health effects |
Buchanich, Jeanine M., Evelyn O. Talbott, et al. 2023. “Bureau of Epidemiology Hydraulic Fracturing Epidemiology Research Studies: Asthma Outcomes.” University of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania Department of Health. | Found strong evidence to suggest an increased risk in the fracking production phase for all buffer distances (0.5-10 miles) for all 3 asthma event types: severe (initiation or increase of systemic corticosteroid medications among patients with asthma), emergency department severe, and hospitalization severe compared to those with no wells within 10 wells of the patient’s residence | asthma |
Buchanich, Jeanine M., Evelyn O. Talbott, et al. 2023. “Bureau of Epidemiology Hydraulic Fracturing Epidemiology Research Studies: Birth Outcomes.” University of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania Department of Health. | Small for gestational age effects: moderate/strong association with fracking production phase, higher odds ratio starting at 2 miles; preterm birth: limited association during the drilling phase, lower odds ratio starting at 5 miles; low birth weight: limited association in the drilling phase, moderate association with cumulative well count, strong association in the production phase, higher odds ratio starting at 5 miles | babies born with low birth weight or small for gestational age |
Buchanich, Jeanine M., Evelyn O. Talbott, et al. 2023. “Bureau of Epidemiology Hydraulic Fracturing Epidemiology Research Studies: Childhood Cancer Case-Control Study.” University of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania Department of Health. | Children who lived within 1 mile of a fracking well had 5-7 times the chance of developing lymphoma compared to children who lived in a place with no wells within 5 miles | cancer: lymphoma |
Trickey, Kevin S, Zihan Chen, and Prachi Sanghavi. 2023. “Hospitalisations for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Disease among Older Adults Living near Unconventional Natural Gas Development: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis.” The Lancet Planetary Health 7 (3): e187–96. | Pennsylvania ZIP codes that started fracking in 2008–10 were associated with more hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases in 2012–15 than would be expected in the absence of fracking compared to non-fracked NY control region | heart attack, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease |
Clark, Cassandra J., Nicholaus P. Johnson, Mario Soriano, Joshua L. Warren, Keli M. Sorrentino, Nina S. Kadan-Lottick, James E. Saiers, Xiaomei Ma, and Nicole C. Deziel. 2022. “Unconventional Oil and Gas Development Exposure and Risk of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Case–Control Study in Pennsylvania, 2009–2017.” Environmental Health Perspectives 130 (8): 087001. | Children (2-7 yrs) with at least one fracking well within 2 km of their birth residence during the primary window had 1.98 times the odds of developing Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in comparison with those with no fracking wells. Children with at least one vs. no fracking wells within 2 km during the perinatal window had 2.80 times the odds of developing ALL | cancer: acute lymphoblastic leukemia |
Bushong, Anna, Thomas McKeon, Mary Regina Boland, and Jeffrey Field. 2022. “Publicly Available Data Reveals Association between Asthma Hospitalizations and Unconventional Natural Gas Development in Pennsylvania.” PLOS ONE 17 (3): e0265513. | Positive association was seen between an increase in asthma hospitalization admission rates and fracking in rural counties | asthma |
Hill, Elaine L., and Lala Ma. 2022. “Drinking Water, Fracking, and Infant Health.” Journal of Health Economics 82 (March): 102595. | Fracking operations near mothers’ homes raised levels of contaminants in drinking water and raised the incidence of preterm birth and low birth weight | preterm birth, babies born with low birth weight |
Gorski-Steiner, Irena, Karen Bandeen-Roche, Heather E. Volk, Sean O’Dell, and Brian S. Schwartz. 2022. “The Association of Unconventional Natural Gas Development with Diagnosis and Treatment of Internalizing Disorders among Adolescents in Pennsylvania Using Electronic Health Records.” Environmental Research 212 (September): 113167. | Association found between a composite of fracking activity and new onset internalizing disorders in female adolescents in the subset of study years with more widespread fracking activity (2010-2016) | depression and anxiety |
Denham, Alina, Mary D. Willis, Daniel P. Croft, Linxi Liu, and Elaine L. Hill. 2021. “Acute Myocardial Infarction Associated with Unconventional Natural Gas Development: A Natural Experiment.” Environmental Research 195 (April): 110872. | 45 y.o. compared to a no-fracking region across state lines in NY”}”>Long- term exposure to fracking operations was associated with increased acute myocardial infarction (heart attack, 1.4-2.8%) hospitalization rates and increased male heart attack death (5.4%) rates in patients > 45 y.o. compared to a no-fracking region across state lines in NY | heart attack related hospitalizations and death |
Blinn, Hannah N., Ryan M. Utz, Lydia H. Greiner, and David R. Brown. 2020. “Exposure Assessment of Adults Living near Unconventional Oil and Natural Gas Development and Reported Health Symptoms in Southwest Pennsylvania, USA.” PLOS ONE 15 (8): e0237325. | Self reported health assessments revealed respiratory, neurological, and muscular symptoms compared to three estimates of exposure: cumulative fracking well density (CWD), inverse distance weighting (IDW) of wells, and annual emission concentrations (AEC) from wells within 5 km of respondents’ homes | eyes, ears, nose, throat; neurological and muscular symptoms |
McAlexander, Tara P., Karen Bandeen-Roche, Jessie P. Buckley, Jonathan Pollak, Erin D. Michos, John William McEvoy, and Brian S. Schwartz. 2020. “Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Hospitalization for Heart Failure in Pennsylvania.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology 76 (24): 2862–74. | Three of four phases (pad preparation, stimulation, and production, not drilling) of fracking activity were associated with hospitalization for heart failure (HF), older patients with HF appear particularly vulnerable | heart failure |
PA Department of Health. 2020. “Ewing’s Family of Tumors, Childhood Cancer and Total Cancer Standard Incidence Ratio Results for Washington, Fayette, Greene and Westmoreland Counties in Pennsylvania.” | Inconclusive despite 9 preschoolers and students in the Canon- McMillan school district being diagnosed with rare cancers in the 2018-2019 school year. From 2006-2017, 31 people in four counties in southwestern Pennsylvania were diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma. This represents a 40% jump from 1995-2005, a period prior to the arrival of drilling and fracking activities in the area | cancer: Ewing’s sarcoma |
Casey, Joan A., Holly C. Wilcox, Annemarie G. Hirsch, Jonathan Pollak, and Brian S. Schwartz. 2018. “Associations of Unconventional Natural Gas Development with Depression Symptoms and Disordered Sleep in Pennsylvania.” Scientific Reports 8 (1): 11375. | Increased antenatal anxiety or depression in mothers in highest quartile of fracking activity exposure | anxiety/ depression |
Denham, A., M. Willis, A. Zavez, and E. Hill. 2019. “Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Hospitalizations: Evidence from Pennsylvania, United States, 2003–2014.” Public Health, Travel Health, 168 (March): 17–25. | Increased hospitalizations for diseases of the genitourinary system (urinary tract infections, kidney infections, and kidney stones) were strongly and positively associated with cumulative fracking density | gastrourinary and skin hospitalizations |
Brown, David R., Lydia H. Greiner, Beth I. Weinberger, Leslie Walleigh, and Dale Glaser. 2019. “Assessing Exposure to Unconventional Natural Gas Development: Using an Air Pollution Dispersal Screening Model to Predict New-Onset Respiratory Symptoms.” Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A 54 (14): 1357–63. | Self reported health assessments revealed 72% of people studied reported at least one respiratory symptom such as sore throat, cough and shortness of breath, sinus problems, and wheezing that began or worsened after the onset of fracking drilling activity and could not be plausibly attributed to pre-existing or current medical conditions, or practices such as smoking | respiratory symptoms |
Environmental Health News. 2021. “Fractured: The body burden of living near fracking.” | US 95th percentile) levels of fracking chemicals in the urine of families living within 5 miles of fracking wells. Chemicals included benzene, toluene, naphthalene, and 15 others. Families that lived closer to fracking operations had higher levels than those living further away”}”>Very high (>US 95th percentile) levels of fracking chemicals in the urine of families living within 5 miles of fracking wells. Chemicals included benzene, toluene, naphthalene, and 15 others. Families that lived closer to fracking operations had higher levels than those living further away | high bioaccumulation of chemicals that are known to have negative health impacts, including reproductive harm and cancer risk |
Beleche, Trinidad, and Inna Cintina. 2018. “Fracking and Risky Behaviors: Evidence from Pennsylvania.” Economics & Human Biology 31 (September): 69–82. | Counties with fracking activities had higher rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia infections (up 7.8% and 2.6%, respectively) | STIs (gonorrhea and chlamydia) |
Casey, Joan A., David A. Savitz, Sara G. Rasmussen, Elizabeth L. Ogburn, Jonathan Pollak, Dione G. Mercer, and Brian S. Schwartz. 2015. “Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Birth Outcomes in Pennsylvania, USA:” Epidemiology, September, 1. | Survey found a link between living closer to more and bigger fracking wells and increased symptoms of depression | depression |
Hill, Elaine L. 2018. “Shale Gas Development and Infant Health: Evidence from Pennsylvania.” Journal of Health Economics 61 (September): 134–50. | Introduction of fracking drilling increased low birth weight and small for gestational age incidence by 25% and 18%, respectively among mothers living within 2.5 km of a well | babies born with low birth weight or small for gestational age |
Koehler, Kirsten, J. Hugh Ellis, Joan A. Casey, David Manthos, Karen Bandeen-Roche, Rutherford Platt, and Brian S. Schwartz. 2018. “Exposure Assessment Using Secondary Data Sources in Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Health Studies.” Environmental Science & Technology 52 (10): 6061–69. | Increased asthma exacerbations with exposure to fracking-related compressors, impoundments, and flaring events | asthma |
Peng, Lizhong, Chad Meyerhoefer, and Shin-Yi Chou. 2018. “The Health Implications of Unconventional Natural Gas Development in Pennsylvania.” Health Economics 27 (6): 956–83. | 65 y.o.) in counties with drilling and fracking operations compared to those without. Also found higher average hospitalization rates for other air pollution-sensitive diseases (acute myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and upper respiratory infections), but those links were not as strong statistically”}”>Higher rates of hospitalizations for pneumonia (> 65 y.o.) in counties with drilling and fracking operations compared to those without. Also found higher average hospitalization rates for other air pollution-sensitive diseases (acute myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and upper respiratory infections), but those links were not as strong statistically | pneumonia (and other respiratory diseases) |
Willis, Mary D., Todd A. Jusko, Jill S. Halterman, and Elaine L. Hill. 2018. “Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Pediatric Asthma Hospitalizations in Pennsylvania.” Environmental Research 166 (October): 402–8. | Fracking exposure metrics were associated with increased odds of pediatric asthma-related hospitalization among young children while controlling for 180 pre-existing respiratory health risks | asthma |
Busby, Christopher, and Joseph J. Mangano. 2017. “There’s a World Going on Underground—Infant Mortality and Fracking in Pennsylvania.” Journal of Environmental Protection 08 (04): 381–93. | Fracking associated with early (0 -28 days) infant mortality | infant mortality |
Currie, Janet, Michael Greenstone, and Katherine Meckel. 2017. “Hydraulic Fracturing and Infant Health: New Evidence from Pennsylvania.” Science Advances 3 (12): e1603021. | Greater incidence of low birth weight within 1 km and 3 km of fracking activity | babies born with low birth weight |
Weinberger, Beth, Lydia H. Greiner, Leslie Walleigh, and David Brown. 2017. “Health Symptoms in Residents Living near Shale Gas Activity: A Retrospective Record Review from the Environmental Health Project.” Preventive Medicine Reports 8 (September): 112–15. | Health assessments from adults in communities with intense fracking revealed most frequently reported symptoms of sleep disturbance, headache, throat irritation, stress/anxiety, cough, shortness of breath, sinus problems, fatigue, wheezing, nausea, each occurring in over 20% of the sample | sleep disturbance, headache, throat irritation, stress/anxiety, cough, shortness of breath, sinus problems, fatigue, wheezing, nausea |
Tustin, Aaron W., Annemarie G. Hirsch, Sara G. Rasmussen, Joan A. Casey, Karen Bandeen-Roche, and Brian S. Schwartz. 2017. “Associations between Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Nasal and Sinus, Migraine Headache, and Fatigue Symptoms in Pennsylvania.” Environmental Health Perspectives 125 (2): 189–97. | Those residing near intensive fracking well activity were significantly more likely to experience chronic rhinosinusitis (at least three months of nasal and sinus symptoms), migraine headaches, and higher levels of fatigue than residents who did not live near such activity | chronic rhinosinusitis, migraine headaches, and fatigue |
Casey, Joan A., Dana E. Goin, Kara E. Rudolph, Brian S. Schwartz, Dione Mercer, Holly Elser, Ellen A. Eisen, and Rachel Morello-Frosch. 2019. “Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Pennsylvania: The Potential Mediating Role of Antenatal Anxiety and Depression.” Environmental Research 177 (October): 108598. | Pregnant women who live near active fracking operations were at a 40% increased risk of giving birth prematurely and at a 30% increased risk for having obstetrician-labeled high-risk pregnancies (hypertension, high pre-pregnancy body mass index, and asthma) | preterm birth |
Finkel, M.L. 2016. “Shale Gas Development and Cancer Incidence in Southwest Pennsylvania.” Public Health 141 (December): 198–206. | Number of urinary bladder cancer cases was higher than expected in counties with fracking activity | cancer: urinary bladder |
McDermott‐Levy, Ruth, and Victoria Garcia. 2016. “Health Concerns of Northeastern Pennsylvania Residents Living in an Unconventional Oil and Gas Development County.” Public Health Nursing 33 (6): 502–10. | Residents described their health concerns about their changing community as a result of fracking, their feelings of stress and powerlessness related to these changes, and the limited response of their local policymakers and protective agencies | self-reported stress |
Rasmussen, Sara G., Elizabeth L. Ogburn, Meredith McCormack, Joan A. Casey, Karen Bandeen-Roche, Dione G. Mercer, and Brian S. Schwartz. 2016. “Association Between Unconventional Natural Gas Development in the Marcellus Shale and Asthma Exacerbations.” JAMA Internal Medicine 176 (9): 1334. | Living near fracking operations during all 4 phases of development significantly increases asthma attacks, and those who lived near a higher number of, or larger, active gas wells were 1.5-4 times more likely to suffer from asthma attacks compared to those who lived farther away | asthma |
Jemielita, Thomas, George L. Gerton, Matthew Neidell, Steven Chillrud, Beizhan Yan, Martin Stute, Marilyn Howarth, et al. 2015. “Unconventional Gas and Oil Drilling Is Associated with Increased Hospital Utilization Rates.” Edited by Jaymie Meliker. PLOS ONE 10 (7): e0131093. | Cardiology inpatient prevalence rates were significantly associated with number of fracking wells per zip code and their density, while neurology inpatient prevalence rates were significantly associated with density of wells. Hospitalizations for cancer, skin conditions, and urological problems also rose significantly | cardiology, dermatology, neurology, oncology, and urology hospitalizations |
Rabinowitz, Peter M., Ilya B. Slizovskiy, Vanessa Lamers, Sally J. Trufan, Theodore R. Holford, James D. Dziura, Peter N. Peduzzi, et al. 2015. “Proximity to Natural Gas Wells and Reported Health Status: Results of a Household Survey in Washington County, Pennsylvania.” Environmental Health Perspectives 123 (1): 21–26. | 2 km, rashes and upper respiratory problems were more prevalent”}”>Health symptoms reported by residents increased in frequency as distance between household and fracking wells decreased. Among persons living < 1 km from drilling and fracking operations compared to those living > 2 km, rashes and upper respiratory problems were more prevalent | rashes and upper respiratory problems |
Stacy, Shaina L., LuAnn L. Brink, Jacob C. Larkin, Yoel Sadovsky, Bernard D. Goldstein, Bruce R. Pitt, and Evelyn O. Talbott. 2015. “Perinatal Outcomes and Unconventional Natural Gas Operations in Southwest Pennsylvania.” Edited by Jaymie Meliker. PLOS ONE 10 (6): e0126425. | Lower birth weight (21 g) and higher incidence of small for gestational age associated with proximity to fracking. The more exposure (number of fracking wells) a pregnant woman had, the higher her risk for a smaller-than-normal baby | babies born with low birth weight or small for gestational age |
Pennsylvania Needs Action Now
The evidence is clear — partnerships with the oil and gas industry are not necessary to determine the health effects of fracking. Instead, we need our State leaders to initiate the comprehensive health response to fracking recommended in the 43rd Grand Jury report. The burden of proof is on CNX, and should be assessed by thorough unbiased evaluation of their operations, not by trusting that their activities at a handful of highly monitored sites are reflective of their general operations and activities.
Increase No-Drill Zones
Governor Shapiro’s Administration can act today to increase no-drill zones using the authority granted in the Clean Streams Law, the Oil and Gas Act, and/or the Clean Air Act. CNX’s voluntary 600 feet no-drill zone compared to the already required 500 feet requirement mandated by the Oil and Gas Act is a miniscule improvement that is unlikely to make a significant difference in exposure. A 2017 study on setback policy in the Marcellus Shale region recommended no-drill zones of at least 736 meters (2,415 feet). The 43rd Grand Jury recommended increasing no-drill zones to at least 2,500 feet between fracking and homes and 5,000 feet between fracking and sensitive sites such as schools or hospitals. The Grand Jury stated “we do not believe such a modest buffer zone is too much to ask when it comes to people’s health and homes,” and lamented that “the current 500 foot standard is woefully inadequate.”
It is unclear that even 2,500 feet is adequate to protect residents living near fracking operations, but it is certainly an improvement from 500 feet. California advocates are fighting to keep SB 1137 in effect this upcoming fall 2024 election cycle, which mandates 3,200 feet (approximately 1 km) no-drill zones. Studies conducted in Pennsylvania looking at health effects related to fracking suggest that effects can be seen within a 10 mile radius (52,800 feet) from fracking infrastructure.
Table 4. Pennsylvania-Based Research that Supports Increased No-Drill Zones
Enact Stronger Oversight Over Fracking
The fracking industry is largely exempt from Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act regulations through the Halliburton Loophole, which assumes that fracking “poses little or no threat” to drinking water and allows operators to pump harmful chemicals into the ground near water sources. This loophole also allows the toxic radioactive wastewater that fracking produces to be unregulated and disposed of improperly. Pennsylvania State Representative Jeanne McNeill is attempting to amend the Oil and Gas Act to remove fracking disclosure exemptions with HB 1943 during the current legislative session. This and other efforts to close the Halliburton Loophole are essential to protecting Pennsylvania residents and their drinking water.
The DEP should also increase its capacity for oversight of existing regulations. The oil and gas industry is often granted exemptions from existing rules, or their compliance with mandates such as air pollution limits go unenforced. Environmental organizations have been doing the work of regulators and the DEP for too long. For example, recently Three Rivers Waterkeeper’s work led the DEP to revoke a permit for a CNX fracking wastewater pipeline in Westmoreland County that should never have been approved in the first place because CNX failed to obtain required federal wildlife approvals. Engaging environmental groups and frontline communities on projects such as air monitoring initiatives can help the State hold extractive industries accountable.
Conclusions
The behavior of Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Governor Josh Shapiro seem like the behavior of two different people. The 43rd Grand Jury report that Attorney General Shapiro advocated for recommended 2,500 foot no-drill zones between homes and oil and gas infrastructure and accused the DEP of failing to protect residents during the fracking boom. Now Governor Shapiro celebrates the minimal nonbinding commitments of a single company, and praises the ability of CNX to produce natural gas in the “most responsible and sustainable way anywhere in the world.”
CNX should not be allowed to pick and choose which data is valid and which data is not. Academic sources and the Commonwealth itself have shown that fracking is associated with negative health problems such as asthma, adverse birth outcomes, and cancer. Pennsylvanians need a comprehensive health response to fracking now, and Governor Shapiro should follow through on his statements as Attorney General and enact the recommendations suggested by the 43rd Grand Jury. The longer we wait to establish stronger protections for residents, the longer those in harm’s way will continue to suffer.
Take Action
Endorse our campaign: https://www.protectivebufferspa.org/action
Sign the petition: https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/governor-shapiro-ditch-the-deal
Where to Learn More
- FracTracker Alliance Releases Statement Opposing Governor Shapiro’s Agreement With CNX
- Studies Reveal Health Impacts from Fracking in Pennsylvania – FracTracker Alliance
From Our Allies
- Gov. Shapiro’s Record on Shale Gas and Health: A Look at the Grand Jury Recommendations One Year In
- Press Release: Gov Shapiro’s Announcement of CNX Partnership is a Slap in the Face to Communities Suffering from Years of Drilling – Center for Coalfield Justice
- Environmental Health Project Statement on Shapiro Administration and CNS Resources Collaboration
- Gov. Shapiro has done an about-face | Opinion
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