Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas has no direct connection to groundwater contamination, according to a study by the Energy Institute of the University of Texas at Austin.

The study, released at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver, British Columbia, found that many problems ascribed to fracking actually have other causes, such as “casing failures or poor cement jobs.”

University researchers also determined that many reports of contamination are the result of above-ground spills or other mishandling of wastewater from shale-gas drilling, rather than the fracking process.

See…it’s not the thing…it’s the stuff you have to do to do the thing. 

BTW, get a kick out of the actual headline they used for the study…

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UT study finds no direct link between fracking and groundwater contamination – Sacramento Living – Sacramento Food and Wine, Home, Health | Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/17/4271707/ut-study-finds-no-direct-link.html