Colorado fracking

Colorado is the first state to ban PFAS in oil and gas extraction

The toxic “forever chemicals” are used in fracking wells across the country.

This month Colorado became the first state to ban the use of PFAS in the extraction of oil and gas.


While there has been widespread outcry about PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in consumer goods — such as stain- and water-resistant clothing, nonstick pots and pans, firefighting foam, carpets and furniture — the oil and gas industry could be a major and under-appreciated source of soil and groundwater contamination.

Last summer an investigation by the advocacy group Physicians for Social Responsibility revealed that the chemicals are often used in the fluids used to extract oil and gas from deep in the ground during fracking. The chemicals, which are extremely water-repellent, are used in fracking fluid to make the chemical mixture more stable and more efficiently flush oil and gas out of the ground at high pressure.

The chemicals have been detected in drinking water across the country, and in a broad range of food items including cow’s milk from small dairy farms, leafy greens and chocolate cake purchased from grocery stores. Plants grown in soil containing PFAS can uptake the chemicals into their plants and roots and make their way into human and animal bodies. PFAS don't break down naturally and are linked to illnesses including cancer, thyroid disease, obesity and ulcerative colitis.

Colorado’s new law passed with bipartisan support, and bars the use of PFAS in fracking fluid starting Jan. 1, 2024.

It also restricts the sale of PFAS in consumer products like carpets and furniture, fabric treatments, cosmetics, food packaging and children’s products, and mandates that the state purchase PFAS-free products.

“This law puts Colorado at the forefront of states taking action to stop the flow of toxic PFAS chemicals,” said Sarah Doll, National Director of Safer States, in a statement. “We anticipate other states to continue this trend.”

PFAS in fracking fluid

Despite widespread use in consumer goods and on military bases, PFAS in fracking has largely flown under the radar.

The report from Physicians for Social Responsibility uncovered PFAS in more than 1,200 fracking wells in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming between 2012 and 2020. The U.S. EPA approved the chemicals for use in fracking in 2011 despite concerns about their toxicity.

It’s likely the chemicals were also used in fracking wells in other states, but in some, like Pennsylvania, oil and gas companies are permitted to keep the list of chemicals used during fracking confidential, preventing a full investigation.

“It’s very disturbing to see the extent to which critical information about these chemicals is shielded from public view,” said Barbara Gottlieb, Physicians for Social Responsibility’s Environment & Health Program Director, in a statement. “The lack of transparency about fracking chemicals puts human health at risk.”

A subsequent analysis by the Philadelphia Inquirer identified the use of PFAS in at least eight Pennsylvania fracking wells between 2012 and 2014.The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spent more than a year sampling water across the state to test for PFAS, focusing on locations where contamination was likely. The agency did not find widespread contamination, but did not include any sites near fracking wells in its investigation.

Representatives from the American Petroleum Institute and the Colorado Oil and Gas Institute responded to the report by Physicians for Social Responsibility last year, saying they agree that PFAS shouldn’t be intentionally used in fracking fluid and that they were not being used in Colorado wells. Even before the PFAS ban, Colorado had some of the most stringent fracking regulations in the country and has required public disclosure of the ingredients in fracking fluid since 2011.

Banner photo: The oil and gas industry holds a rally outside of the Colorado Capitol on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. (Credit: Jesse Paul/flickr)

Black and orange oil pump jack in the middle of a field

New order weakens protections for public lands and wildlife

President Trump’s Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a directive making it easier to develop fossil fuels on public lands, reversing conservation efforts and threatening migratory birds, national monuments and endangered species.

Lisa Sorg and Wyatt Myskow report for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
Two men carrying a solar panel

Trump’s climate funding freeze leaves rural businesses in limbo

The Trump administration’s freeze on climate and energy funding has disrupted businesses, nonprofits and local governments, with rural projects in conservative-leaning states facing stalled reimbursements and financial strain.

Jeff St. John reports for Canary Media.

Keep reading...Show less
Elon Musk gesturing and speaking at an event

Musk-backed effort threatens USAID’s climate programs

A freeze on USAID funding, supported by Elon Musk and the Trump administration, has halted key climate initiatives, potentially jeopardizing disaster preparedness and clean energy projects worldwide.

Chico Harlan reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
Person in fingerless gloves using macbook pro

Researchers fight to save  environmental data erased from federal websites by Trump's administration

The Trump administration has swiftly deleted climate and environmental justice data from federal websites, prompting scientists and advocates to scramble to preserve critical resources.

Naveena Sadasivam reports for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
Curved facade of the Environmental Protection Agency building in Washington DC.

EPA partially unfreezes environmental funding after court ruling

A federal judge’s order has prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lift a spending freeze on some programs under the bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act, though major climate-related funds remain paused.

James Bikales and Zack Colman report for POLITICO.

Keep reading...Show less
Aerial photography of icebergs on body of water during daytime.

Polar ice melt may collapse key ocean current by 2050, scientists warn

Global warming has accelerated since 2010, raising concerns that a critical Atlantic Ocean current could shut down within decades, leading to extreme sea level rise and disruptive climate shifts.

Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Map showing the Gulf of Mexico.

Greg Grandin: Renaming the Gulf of Mexico while oil drilling and pollution surge

Donald Trump’s push to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" draws attention away from decades of offshore drilling, pollution and environmental devastation affecting marine life and coastal communities.

Greg Grandin writes for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

People  sitting in an outdoors table working on a big sign.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

joe biden

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

Agents of Change in Environmental Justice logo

LISTEN: Reflections on the first five years of the Agents of Change program

The leadership team talks about what they’ve learned — and what lies ahead.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.