Earthworks: http://www.earthworksaction.org/reform_governments/oil_gas_accou ntability_project
Earthworks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from hazards that come about from irresponsible energy development. It supports drilling communities mainly by advocating for policy reforms. Its website contains information about the history of federal regulations, current loopholes, and efforts to reform legislation at the state and federal level. It also contains links to press releases, texts of certain bills, external news reports, and detailed fact sheets.
EcoNews is powered by EcoWatch, which is an online platform for all things environmental. EcoNews reports on a number of hot environmental topics, and has its own section related to fracking. EcoWatch is dedicated toward green living and environmental protection, and so the news is heavily focused on anti-fracking movements and is not the most balanced source. However, it is a good resource to keep up on the latest news about various environmental organizations and the latest developments in the industry.
ProPublica report on abandoned EPA studies:
This report from the independent investigative journalism website ProPublica examines, in depth, the recent history of EPA’s abandoned studies. It does a superb job of investigating the various actors and influences involved in order to paint a picture of the situation. It attempts to present the information in an unbiased manner to allow the public to make their own conclusions, and provides plenty of external links to give the reader more information about the topic.
FracFocus: http://fracfocus.org/.
FracFocus is the national fracking chemical disclosure registry, run by two
independent organizations whose goal is environmental protection and conservation. It provides factual information about fracking without choosing a side on the topic. It provides a registry of the specific chemicals used at certain well sites across the country. While the website is independently run, it is used by some states as their official chemical disclosure, as per the regulations in that state. While this is not strictly a federal issue yet, as the federal disclosure of chemicals becomes a highly debated issue, in terms of federal regulations, this website will certainly be directly involved in the process moving forward.
Environmental Protection Agency:
The EPA’s website about fracking contains general information about the practice itself, regulation of the practice, and information about studies they have done. Being a government agency, the EPA attempts to remain as objective as possible. This is a good resource to read the original language in different studies or bills that directly affect the current regulatory framework.
CQ Researcher- Fracking Controversy:
http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2011121600& type=hitlist&num=0#.UqeejWRDvTc
This comprehensive report from CQ Researcher, a source for original, unbiased reports about hot topics in the news, provides the history, current situation, and future outlook to the controversy of fracking. It touches upon a number of different topics surrounding fracking, including a focus on the regulatory situation. The report provides a timeline of fracking history, pro/con arguments, related short features, external links to news stories, and a list of contacts on both sides of the controversy.