CHEYENNE — The recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report linking contaminated groundwater to hydraulic fracturing activity in Pavillion is not discouraging hopes for the Niobrara oil play.

As many continue to question the scientific conclusions of the findings, both the EPA and industry representatives say the specific concerns raised in the report are not applicable to southeast Wyoming.

That is because the Niobrara formation is geologically much different than the Pavillion area.

The EPA released a draft report in December that claims potentially hazardous synthetic chemicals used in the fracturing process likely leaked into Pavillion’s aquifers.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of using pressurized liquids to create and hold open fractures in a formation in order to extract oil and gas. MORE …