Letter - Safety of Drinking Water - NYTimes.com Re "Dark Side of a Natural Gas Boom" (Business Day, Dec. 8): While I empathize with concerns over drinking water safety, I must respectfully disagree with the suggestion that hydraulic fracturing - a safe practice that has been used for six decades to help provide clean, American natural gas - is to blame. Since this technology was developed, more than a million wells have been safely hydraulically fractured under stringent state regulations. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed in recent Congressional testimony that it is not aware of a single case of groundwater contamination resulting from this practice. Like all Americans, we take the safety of our drinking water seriously, and we are committed to raising awareness of the extensive precautions we take. The natural gas industry employs nearly three million Americans and has a vital, clean and safe role to play in our nation's low-carbon, energy-independent future. V. Bruce Thompson President, American Exploration and Production Council Washington, Dec. 10, 2009