Key Points

• The burning of natural gas contributed more than 21 percent of the country's carbon dioxide emissions in 2008.
• Local air quality has been severely degraded in some areas due to the extraction and processing of natural gas.
• Natural gas development can — and does — cause long-term, cumulative impacts on lands, wildlife, and ecosystems including habitat fragmentation.
• Hydraulic fracturing is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act, and companies are not required to publicly disclose the chemicals that they inject underground, sometimes close to drinking water sources.
• Natural gas construction activities are exempt from the federal stormwater prevention program.
• Policies and laws need to ensure that natural gas development is done responsibly and in an environmentally-safe manner.