1. The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC):
The National Resources Defense Council provides information on the impacts of fracking and how to avoid disastrous outcomes. It provides information on health effects, laws, pollution, and environmental impacts and what citizens can do about fracking in their areas. The website is easy to navigate, has a wealth of information, and is well balanced on all aspects of fracking. The site also contains many links to other useful sites and organizations that provide information on fracking, including a section on the different resources and sites available within each state.
2. State Impact (NPR association)- the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources:
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/tag/department-of-conservation-a... resources/
This State Impact site is a “Guide to DCNR: The Agency Balancing Drilling and Conservation Interests.” It discusses the role of the DCNR in fracking and its impacts on state parks and forests. There is a great deal of information and details on the environmental impacts of fracking for people to access, mainly in the form of posts and news reports on fracking related to the DCNR. The site provides information almost exclusively on the actions of the DCNR related to fracking and is very easy to navigate. The site also provides a few links to other sites, with most of them being parts of the DCNR’s main website.
3. FracTracker:
FracTracker is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing information to the public about the impacts of the shale gas industry by collecting, interpreting, and sharing data through its aggregator website. The site provides a variety of opinions and types of information, with a great deal of information on the environmental impacts of fracking. The site is very easy to navigate and provides a few outside links to other groups and information on fracking.
4. National Wildlife Federation:
http://www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Energy-and- Climate/Drilling-and-Mining/Natural-Gas-Fracking.aspx
The National Wildlife Federation’s site on fracking and its impacts seeks to ensure that fracking companies are held responsible for living up to the keystone conservation laws, such as the Clean Air Act, and that key habitats are protected from fracking. The site focuses on the impacts to water and air quality and to wildlife. The website itself does not have a great depth of information, but there is additional, detailed information available in a pdf provided by the site of the NWF’s report exposing the hazards of fracking. Seven related resources links can be accessed at the site for more information, as well as links to blogs and news on fracking.
5. Susquehanna River Basin Commission:
http://www.srbc.net/programs/projreviewnaturalgas.htm
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission’s website on natural gas shales and well development is very easy to use and has a good balance in the information it presents. The information is presented as links to various resources, all of which are related to the environmental impacts of fracking. These links vary from press releases to Susquehanna River Basin Commission resources to regulatory information.
6. Delaware River Basin Commission:
The Delaware River Basin Commission site provides a natural gas drilling index page that is easy to navigate and provides useful information for any curious or concerned citizen. There are five main tabs on the site to access that give information on a wide range of fracking topics and concerns. All of these topics have links to other resources to access more information on fracking and its impacts. There is even a map of the Delaware River Basin special protection waters, the special protection waters drainage areas, and the location of the Marcellus shale formation.
For More Information
The United States Geologic Survey (USGS): http://www.usgs.gov/science/science.php?term=770
The Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ): http://www.sej.org/search/node/fracking
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/marcellus_shale...
Earth Justice: http://earthjustice.org/our_work/campaigns/fracking-gone-wrong-finding-a...
Earth Works: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/hydraulic_fracturing_101#....
Berks Gas Truth: http://www.gastruth.org