What is hydraulic fracturing or "fracking?"

Natural gas is an important fuel to help us transition from the dirty fuels of the 20th century to the cleaner fuels of the 21st century. It is cleaner than burning coal and we have a domestic supply of it as opposed to oil, which we have to import. There is a technique called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" that enables us to produce natural gas from deep within the earth. What happens is we send down a drill vertically, then drill horizontally and after that push through a combination of drilling fluid made of toxic chemicals like benzene, sand, and water that helps break up the shale and free the natural gas from the pores of the shale. That gas is collected, pumped to the top and then it's set for commercial or industrial use.

What are the environmental concerns about it?

Hydraulic fracturing poses a number of threats to the environment. First, the chemicals used to force the gas out of the shale rock include toxic components, including cancer-causing chemicals like benzene. Second, there is concern that in pushing the chemicals down or bringing the gas up that you can contaminate groundwater which is often used for drinking water. In addition, there is lots of excess water or produce water that is produced from hydraulic fracking to produce shale gas. This water contains toxic chemicals, lots of salt, and what's called naturally occurring radioactive materials. Often this water is sent to sewage treatment plants that are not designed to remove these contaminants. Then lastly, the production of shale gas could release fugitive methane, which is a global warming pollutant.

How can we address these concerns?

The technologies exist to prevent contamination of our air, water, and atmosphere from hydraulic fracking. Some natural gas producers use them, but many do not. What we need to do is require companies to protect groundwater and surface water from contamination, report on the toxic chemicals they use in the fracking fluid, and, finally, capture the methane that would otherwise escape in the atmosphere and cause global warming. In fact companies that capture this methane actually use it for energy generation and make a profit on it.