What is fracking?

Fracking has caught national attention lately with the latest gas exploration going on. Basically, fracking is a technique used to obtain gas from the land. In fracking, a large well is drilled deep into the Earth that allows for sand, water and chemicals to put pressure on the underground rocks. This cracks/breaks the rocks to allow for oil/gas to seep through. However, fracking is not sitting well with a lot of environmentalist being that fracking is not really good for the environment. Many issues arise with fracking such as;

• Fracking chemicals are toxic and can contaminate water from spills or accidents.
• Fracking produces hazardous wastewater, which can contain radioactive substances as well as toxic chemicals, making disposal difficult and dangerous.
• Fracking requires millions of gallons of water, which can deplete local water supplies.
• Fracking can cause natural gas to migrate into drinking water sources, which can cause houses and wells to explode.
• Over 1,000 cases of water contamination near drilling sites have been documented around the country.

Check out this video on fracking to get a better understanding of what it entails.