A coalition of US environmental groups has sued the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) , claiming that the agency has not sufficiently regulated waste disposal connected to oil and gas exploration . The lawsuit focuses particularly on the disposal of waste water from fracking . Such waste is currently sent to underground wells ; a process that has been connected to an increased rate of earthquakes in states including Oklahoma , Colorado and Ohio . The lawsuit calls for a ban on the dumping of waste water in areas where it could pollute drinking water and landfills . Last year , the Obama administration passed measures intended to reduce the potential for water contamination as a result of fracking , however those measures only applied to fracking on federal lands .
A coalition of US environmental groups has sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), claiming that the government has not sufficiently regulated waste disposal connected to oil and gas drilling. The lawsuit focuses particularly on the disposal of waste water from fracking. Such waste is currently sent to underground wells; a process that has been connected to an increased rate of earthquakes in states including Oklahoma, Colorado and Ohio. The lawsuit calls for a ban on the dumping of waste water in areas where it could pollute drinking water and landfills. Last year, the Obama administration passed measures intended to limit the potential for water contamination as a result of fracking, however those measures only applied to fracking on federal lands.