Over the last four years, the Bush administration and Vice President
Dick Cheney's office have backed a series of measures favoring a
drilling technique developed by Halliburton Co., Cheney's former
employer. The technology, known as hydraulic fracturing, boosts gas and
oil production and generates $1.5 billion a year for the company, about
one-fifth of its energy-related revenue. In recent years, Halliburton
and other oil and gas firms have been fighting efforts to regulate the
procedure under a statute that protects drinking water supplies. The
2001 national energy policy report, written under the direction of the
vice president's office, cited the value of hydraulic fracturing but
didn't mention concerns raised by staff members at the Environmental
Protection Agency. Since then, the administration has taken steps to
keep the practice from being regulated under the Safe Drinking Water
Act, which Halliburton has said would hurt its business and add
needless costs and bureaucratic delays. [more ]
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