Fracking and Drinking Water Safety
Developing Natural Gas Through Hydraulic Fracturing
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking, is an extraction process that involves pumping water, chemicals, and sand deep into hard-to-reach rock formations at high pressure to force cracks and release natural gas, allowing it to flow freely to the production well. Although the history of this technique can be traced to the 1940s, it wasn’t used on a large scale until about a decade ago, when energy companies began expanding natural gas exploration in certain States, including Texas, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Today, the process is used worldwide, and the Independent Petroleum Association of American reports that over 90 percent of…
