Protecting our water supply

The oil and gas industry uses a lot of water and other fluids; the GAO estimates at least 2 billion gallons of fluids every day. The EPA is charged with protecting our water supply. There are questions as to how well it is doing so with regard to drilling. 

The EPA is required to annual on-site state program evaluations, but has not looked at the rules and procedures to do so for many years. The question the GAO raises is how does the EPA know what oversight activities are most effective or necessary. 

Many states do their own regulation of drilling, but the EPA must approve and incorporate state program requirements and any changes to them into federal regulations through a rulemaking. EPA has not incorporated all such requirements and changes into federal regulations and, as a result, may not be able to enforce all state program requirements.