The Truth About Fracking

Hydraulic fracturing - or "fracking" - is a fast-growing source of natural gas used to create electricity, heat homes, and more. It involves forcing water, sand, and chemicals into super-deep wells and then recovering the gas released during the process.

Fracking is also highly controversial, with viral video hits such as "The Fracking Song" and the 2010 documentary Gasland contending that the process leads to polluted drinking water, home explosions, and worse.

Fracking has been around for more than 60 years and over 100,000 gas wells are dug per year, most of them in sparsely populated areas in the western U.S. With the discovery of the Marcellus Shale in the eastern part of the country, fracking is increasingly common in populated parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York, leading to heightened tensions between drillers and environmentalists. Indeed, the attorney general of New York has called for a moratorium on the practice in the Empire State.

Is fracking safe? And what are the potential benefits that will be forfeited if the practice is ended? Reason's Nick Gillespie sat down with science correspondent Ronald Bailey to learn the truth about fracking. Bailey reports that the cases of contaminated water supplies were the result of poorly designed wells that had nothing to do with fracking itself. As important, he notes that the gas generated by fracking would not only massively increase American energy supply, it would do so with a relatively clean and cheap fuel.

Shot by Jim Epstein and Josh Swain; Edited by Swain.

Approximately 5:34 minutes.

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  News & Politics

[Bock728]

He just made a whole lot of Fracking sense. Awesome Video!

[itzahazylife]

He's right. Fracking can cause water pollution if it's done improperly. The technology isn't inherently bad. You're emotionally invested in this anti-fracking nonsense.

[itzahazylife]

You're a goof ball man. Fracking can cause problems with peoples water if it's done improperly. The technology isn't inherently bad. Over time it will improve and many people can be provided with cleaner methane energy.

[Jack Hammer]

My religion is Greek Orthodox, my business is oil and gas exploration.... I've been fracing probably as long as you've been living... I know the issues, you've been told the issues by uneducated pinheads...

[larkwick]

believe in your religion, do reaserch to learn more facts about issues...

[larkwick]

No evidence to these cliams - "fracking did not cause it itself" he said so

[Anita Toma]

who the hell is reason tv? and what means "reason tv science corespondent"? that individ looks like a seling agent for a drug company. what kind of scientist is he?

[Jack Hammer]

You sound like Jay Carney, explaining a lie....

[Jack Hammer]

still waiting..... guess I'll go to work while you try to think of a smart-ass answer....

[Jack Hammer]

what is my definition of hydraulic tracing, tell me....  this ought to be funny...