On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it will conduct a comprehensive research study to investigate the potential adverse impact that hydraulic fracturing may have on water quality and public health.

Water contamation has been a concern in parts of the country where hydrofracking occurs.There are concerns that hydraulic fracturing may impact ground water and surface water quality in ways that threaten human health and the environment. The process extracts natural gas from hard-to-reach places, and is the technology of choice for drilling in New York State's Marcellus Shale formation.

EPA is re-allocating $1.9 million for the comprehensive, peer-reviewed study for FY10 and requesting funding for FY11 in the president's budget proposal.

This is not the first time that hydrofracking has been studied.

EPA is in the very early stages of designing a hydraulic fracturing research program. The agency is proposing the process begin with (1) defining research questions and identifying data gaps; (2) conducting a robust process for stakeholder input and research prioritization; (3) with this input, developing a detailed study design that will undergo external peer-review, leading to (4) implementing the planned research studies.