Drilling Down on Fracking Concerns

The Potential and Peril of Hydraulic Fracturing to Drill for Natural Gas

American Progress.org

By Tom Kenworthy, Daniel J. Weiss, Lisbeth Kaufman, Christina C. DiPasquale | March 21, 2011

A  widely used oil-and-gas drilling technique, hydraulic fracturing, is spreading rapidly to develop vast reserves of natural gas trapped in deep underground shale formations. Hydraulic fracking, however, is coming under more rigorous oversight by the press and state and federal agencies because of its contribution to air and water pollution. This attention is welcome, both to ensure that health and safety will be protected if gas is to be more widely used as a cleaner replacement for coal in electric plants and foreign oil as a transportation fuel. We must also more accurately measure carbon dioxide and other pollution from the combustion of gas compared to coal and oil.

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The Potential and Peril of Hydraulic Fracturing to Drill for Natural Gas

This article is worth reading, it points out some of the pros and some of the cons of unlocking the natural gas potential from shale.

The bottom of the article deals with some of the progress being made to help alleviate public concerns and raise the standards of the techniques used. It is important to note that more progress companies have been addressing these types of changes for a few years making their processes more efficient, effective and safer.