EDITORIAL: Yet another study shows fracking doesn’t contaminate groundwater

The environmental lobby claims that its strident stance against hydraulic fracturing is all about science. Those who aim to shut down the driving force behind what little growth the U.S. economy has experienced the past few years liken themselves to Matt Damon's character in "The Martian" — they've scienced the [expletive] out of it.

But so did Yale University, in a study attributed to 13 science and engineering experts that was just published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study's lengthy title, "Elevated levels of diesel range organic compounds in groundwater near Marcellus gas operations are derived from surface activities," in layman's terms translates to: Fracking doesn't cause groundwater contamination.

This is not surprising, though. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce noted an Environmental Protection Agency study released in 2012 had similar findings, and a second EPA report released in June further strengthened the scientific argument that hydraulic fracturing has not had "widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water." And all that was backed up by a U.S. Department of Energy study released in September 2014 that found fracking presented no threat to ground drinking water.

Climate change alarmists love to point to science and really love to say "the science is settled" on their perspective, which holds that mankind's carbon emissions are destroying the world. In an op-ed published by the Review-Journal last year, Rob Mrowka of the Center for Biological Diversity wrote: "Fracking pollution threatens our water through leaks, spills, well failures and underground migration of fracking fluid."

But here we have science — from an esteemed university and two federal agencies dominated by allies of environmentalists, no less — saying the alarmists are wrong.

That won't change their position, of course. Environmentalists oppose fracking not because fracking itself is bad for the environment, but because they want to block the development of natural gas and oil. That end justifies any means, including frivolous litigation and the pursuit of endangered species designations and new wilderness areas.

Fracking has provided markets with access to natural resources that were believed to be inaccessible just a few decades ago. The technology has made the United States a global energy powerhouse and saved consumers a fortune through supply stability.

A year ago, the Legislative Commission approved new fracking regulations submitted by the Nevada Division of Minerals. Nevada needs to continue moving toward the development of oil and natural gas reserves underneath private land and the vast swaths of federal acreage in this state. Unlike green energy projects, the oil and gas industries would create thousands of sustained, good-paying jobs, boosting rural economies and generating millions of dollars in tax revenue for the state and local governments.

And it doesn't harm water supplies. That'll be tough for the greens to swallow.