The Federal Role at the Pavillion Site
EPA's Approach and Stakeholder Responses
On December 8, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft report on its investigation of groundwater contamination near the town of Pavillion, Wyoming. Although the EPA Draft Report focused on one specific region where hydraulic fracturing was employed to enhance the production of natural gas, it has raised concerns about hydraulic fracturing practices in general, and whether EPA’s findings at Pavillion are more broadly applicable to other regions of the country. EPA Investigation Authority In 2008, citizens of Pavillion submitted a public petition asking EPA to conduct an investigation of possible contamination of the drinking water…