NEWS OF THE WEEK
FRACKING STUDY CRITICIZED ENVIRONMENT: Republicans attack EPA study of gas-extraction technique and water safety
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EPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS want the Environ-
mental Protection Agency to change its methods in a study of hydraulic fracturing’s effects on drinking water safety. The lawmakers say they want to ensure that the study, due next year, puts findings in better context by including a quantitative risk assessment. That was the Republican message to EPA last week during a hearing in the House of Representatives by the Science, Space & Technology Committee. But EPA intends instead to conduct its study using a “risk framework,” meaning it will qualitatively account for various hazards and exposure potential, according to David A. Dzombak, who chairs the EPA Science Advisory Board panel that will review the study. Republicans have been skeptical of EPA’s attempts to assess JIM LO SCALZO/EPA/NEWSCO M
Republicans are pushing EPA to change the methodology of an upcoming study on the impact of fracking on drinking water.
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD RESULTS EDUCATION: China, South Korea,
and Taiwan dominate the international competition
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HREE ASIAN COUNTRIES emerged as the top
performers in the 45th International Chemistry Olympiad, a competition among top high school students that took place in Moscow from July 15 to 24. The teams from China, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) each earned three gold medals and a silver medal. The competition tests students on chemistry knowledge and lab skills. The U.S. team put on a strong performance, with David Liang and Runpeng Liu winning gold medals, and Saaket Agrawal and Stephen Ting earning silver medals. “The competition was very challenging, and I am extremely pleased with our students’ performance,” says Kelli CECILIA HERNANDEZ
U.S. team members Ting (from left), Liang, Liu, and Agrawal show off their medals. Liu holds the team’s falcon mascot.
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the risks of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, saying the efforts could result in needless additional regulation of a practice they view as safely regulated by states. Rep. Lamar S. Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the committee, warned that if EPA fails to make sufficient changes, “a legislative remedy may be warranted to address the study’s deficiencies.” But Democrats at the hearing defended EPA efforts. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), the committee’s top Democrat, pointed out that determining fracking’s safety is “in the best interest of everyone, especially the fracking industry.” Fracking releases natural gas and oil from shale rock by injecting water, sand, and various chemicals under high pressure into wells. The rising use of the technique has led the public and environmental activists to worry about possible contamination of water supplies. Some companies have faced federal and state fines for mishandling fracking wastewater. EPA has withdrawn from several of its investigations of contamination near specific oil and gas production sites, however. Republicans said those withdrawals highlight flaws in those studies and raise doubts about the congressionally mandated drinking water study’s credibility. EPA defends its science, saying it has rigorous procedures and protocols to ensure scientific integrity and quality. Fred Hauchman, a top official at EPA’s Office of Research & Development, testified that the scientific literature doesn’t yet provide enough data for a quantitative risk assessment.—PUNEET KOLLIPARA
M. Slunt, head mentor for the U.S. team and a chemistry professor at the University of Mary Washington. Liang, a rising senior at Carmel High School, in Indiana, says having an optimistic attitude going into the competition helped him stay focused. “We’re elated to be able to represent our country so well here in Russia,” says Liu, of Ladue Horton Watkins High School, in Missouri, who is headed to MIT. Singapore and Ukraine each took home three gold medals and a bronze medal. Host country Russia earned two gold medals and two silver medals. In all, 34 gold, 64 silver, and 94 bronze medals were awarded to 291 chemistry students from 73 countries. For the olympiad’s laboratory exam, students prepared and analyzed colored organic species, quantitatively analyzed a sample of swimming pool water, and determined the molecular mass of a polymer. The knowledge test covered eight topics, such as methane clathrates and redox reactions in photosynthesis. In addition to the exams, students went sightseeing in Moscow and spent time talking with other international students. Agrawal, who graduated from Mira Loma High School, in California, and is attending Caltech in the fall, notes that it’s those exchanges with other students that made the competition such a rich learning experience. The 46th International Chemistry Olympiad will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in July 2014.—LINDA WANG
JULY 29, 2013
