WASHINGTON – House Members Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Jared Polis (D-CO) have asked President Obama to back stronger environmental and public health standards to protect against the “risks” of hydraulic fracturing.

In a letter, the lawmakers requested the President’s support for the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act, which would require the disclosure of chemicals used in the fracking of natural gas extraction. The measure would also eliminate a Safe Drinking Water Act exemption for fracking that was established in 2005.

They also requested an exemption on the EPA study of fracking. The current plan does not include a study of air pollution and other health risks associated with fracking.

“The President has endorsed disclosure of racking chemicals when they are used on public lands, but has not taken a position on if that same standards should be applied for all drilling that occurs throughout the country,” said Hinchey. “Given the strong emphasis he placed on natural gas development in his state of the union address, I am hopeful that the President will recognize a need to study this issue fully and enact protections of drinking water that would safeguard public health if fracking is to occur. We need him to take a firm position on the FRAC Act and direct the EPA to expand the current study.”