Art Swift reports that the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has emerged as a divisive issue across the U.S., reflected in American opinions about it. 40 per cent of Americans say they favor the procedure, while 40 per cent oppose it, and a substantial 19 per cent do not have an opinion. This is amid the Obama administration last week announcing the first nationwide safety rules for fracking.
Fracking is a process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at high pressures to fracture shale rocks and release natural gas inside. Developed in the 1940s, fracking became much more widespread in the late 1980s, when oil operators began drilling horizontally, using hydraulic fracturing. In the 1990s, fracking was introduced into shale formations, and it is this practice on a massive commercial scale that is employed throughout the U.S. today. Many credit fracking with contributing to the current oil and gas boom, which has helped dramatically ramp up the production of oil and gas in the U.S., and the U.S. even passing Saudi Arabia as the largest oil producer in the world. It is also being denounced by adversaries as causing potential hazards, such as groundwater pollution and minor earthquakes.
I2M Web Portal editors suggest that this is another example of where those polled have no basis for their opinions either way, which is especially demonstrated by the political distribution of the results. This is more a vote against the O and G industry than knowledge of fracking.
Resource Portal for I2M Clients, Associates, and Geoscientists
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-