Ignoring ** going forward is the best thing we can do. nt

"we will hold you accountable at the ballot box."

Fracking likely linked to groundwater pollution in U.S.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may have linked fracking — a controversial method of improving the productivity of oil and gas wells — to groundwater pollution for the first time.

The EPA announced Thursday that it found compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals in the groundwater beneath a Wyoming community where residents say their well water reeks of chemicals.

The finding could have a chilling effect in both Canada and the U.S. where various levels of government are trying to determine how to regulate the controversial process. Hydraulic fracturing involves pumping pressurized water, sand and chemicals underground to open fissures and release natural gas and oil trapped in the rock formations.

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As part of the investigation, the EPA drilled two deep monitoring wells in the local aquifer and found synthetic chemicals, like glycols and alcohols consistent with gas production and hydraulic fracturing fluids. It also found benzene concentrations well above Safe Drinking Water Act standards and high methane levels in the deep wells.

more

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/12/08/bc-fracking-groundwater-epa.html

Virginia Tech shootings leave 2 dead

Virginia Tech says a police officer and a second victim have been shot and killed on the campus, where 32 students and faculty died in a 2007 rampage that was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Authorities are seeking a suspect at the Blacksburg, Va., university. A campus-wide alert tells students and faculty to stay inside and lock doors.

A law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case, said initial reports indicated that the shooting occurred following a traffic stop.

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The suspect is described as a white male wearing grey sweat pants, grey hat with neon green brim, maroon hoodie and backpack.

more

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/12/08/virginia-tech-shooting.html