DeGette asks Upton for fracking hearing of Energy and Commerce Committee

Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette, D-Denver, today sent a letter to U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., requesting a full hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the controversial topic of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

“Investigative reports we have released, peer-reviewed studies of shale gas production, news reports of spills and contamination, and regulatory action in three different agencies have raised numerous concerns about the practice of hydraulic fracturing,” reads the letter (pdf) to Upton, who chairs the committee.

Democratic Reps. Henry A. Waxman and Edward J. Markey also signed the letter from DeGette, who earlier this session introduced the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act to require public disclosure of chemicals used in the process.

DeGette is also pushing for the removal of a Safe Drinking Water Act exemption for fracking granted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Colorado’s senior member of Congress says she has quite a bit of bipartisan support for her efforts, even in the GOP-controlled House.

“We know natural gas is an important economic driver and a significant bridge fuel – particularly for Colorado – but we must ensure the process for extracting it is done safely and responsibly,” DeGette said.