Fracking
Fracking, the popular abbreviation for hydraulic fracturing, is a technique which injects highly-pressurized fluid into a well to split the rock and allow access to natural gas trapped within.
Energy companies, driven in no small part by dwindling reserves of easy-to-access fossil fuels, are increasingly turning to so-called unconventional sources of fossil fuels. Shale gas is one of these; and hydraulic fracturing promises to open up access to what is claimed to be vast to sources of natural gas, and profits. National governments too, driven by a desire for greater energy independence, want access to these reserves of natural gas.
But big questions remain about the environmental safety of fracking: Will fracking cause more earthquakes? Will the chemicals used contaminate drinking water? What will be the impact on small farms? Does natural gas obtained by fracking have similar greenhouse gas emissions to other natural gas?
Energy companies downplay all of these concerns. Politicians focus on energy independence. Environmentalists urge caution. Whatever side you're on, fracking is likely to remain an issue in the forefront of energy policy for some time.
Featured Stories in Fracking
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Increased Use of Natural Gas Will Make Climate Change Worse, Not Better, New Study Predicts
“The large GHG footprint of shale gas undercuts the logic of its use as a bridging fuel over coming decades, if the goal is to reduce global warming.”
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4.0 Earthquake Caused by Fracking in Ohio Was Felt in Toronto
After a series of 11 earthquakes in nine months, a fracking operation near Youngstown has been suspended.
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Farmer Calls on Reddit to Help Him Protect 30,000 Acres of His Homeland from Fracking
A farmer turns to the popular social media site to throw light on plans to lease 30,000 acres of land to fracking companies.
Tag: Fracking - Page 4
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Could Using Propane Instead of Water Clean Up Fracking?
That's an unanswered question, but it also enable frackers to get around New York state's moratorium on hydraulic fracturing.
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What Happens When Murdoch's New York Post, Fracking, and Selective Editing Combine? Crappy Journalism
Crappy Journalism of the highest order in fact. You get a cocktail perhaps even more toxic than the secret blend of chemicals used in fracking itself.
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President Obama Creates New Fracking Oversight Panel, Overlooks Fracking's Eco-Impact
I really wonder if when it comes to the environmental impact of natural gas President Obama's advisors actually keep up with the latest research.
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Think Natural Gas Leasing Makes Homeowners Money? Think Again (Video)
Water Defense's latest anti-natural gas video takes on what happens to homeowners' property values and how much money they really receive from natural gas drilling.
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Protecting Americans From Natural Gas Air Pollution
Americans are speaking out in support of EPA's coming protections from pollution caused by natural gas and oil drilling.
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Lenders Say Fracking Presents a Mortgage Risk
Landowners who sign away mineral leases may be ineligible for mortgages, presenting a real financial risk long before any drilling starts.
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350.org, Josh Fox and Friends Announce Don't Frack OH Action
There are many reasons to stop fracking in Ohio, but let me unpack two: fracking is causing earthquakes across the country and natural gas is a potential climate killer.
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Mitt Romney: Climate Flip-flopper and Fracking Defender
Mitt Romney wants to drill everywhere, but doesn't let reporters drill down into his policies.
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"Unprecedented" Rise in Earthquakes Directly Linked to Oil and Gas Drilling
A new report from the US Geological Survey provides even more cause for concern about an increase in drilling for oil and gas.
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Fracking 'Exxposed' In New Video From Water Defense
"All across the country, gas companies are poisoning water, tearing apart communities and destroying the American dream for thousands of families who can't protect their children from what comes out of the tap."
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Mark Ruffalo Shows Colbert A Few Things About Fracking
Mark Ruffalo Shows Colbert A Few Things About Fracking
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Energy News: Fracking Could Crack Carbon Capture; Shell Gets Another Arctic Drilling OK; More
Not to be a downer, but there's a quartet of concerning news this morning worth paying attention to. Beyond the headline: The Koch Brothers fund disinformation on Obama's influence on fuel prices; and, the Senate rejects ending Big Oil subsidies.
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Study Finds Fracking Poses Air Pollution Health Risks, But EPA Still Denying Groundwater Impacts
Air pollutants monitored near natural gas drilling sites were measured at five times federal standards.
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Three Times as Many Americans Want More Fracking Oversight Than Less
A new Bloomberg poll shows Americans strongly support more transparency and regulation in the fracking process.
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EPA Announces Delay in Report on Wyoming Groundwater Pollution Caused By Fracking
The EPA said the reason for the delay is to ensure the agency's final report will meet the highest scientific standards.
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The Big Fracking Bubble: Rolling Stone & Chesapeake Energy in War of Words
Rolling Stone claims that the business model for fracking is based more on speculation and land rights than its true energy potential. Frackers take offence.
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Energy News: Greenpeace Ordered Away From Shell, Where's The Cheapest Gas In The World, More
Plus, the US Army wants billions of dollars of renewable electricity, osmotic power using wastewater and not salt water, and the USGS' take on fracking's potential impact on New York State's water supply (not good).
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Sitting Colorado Governor Flacks for Fracking in Ad for Oil & Gas Industry
Despite passing some of the strongest laws regulating hydraulic fracturing, the Democratic governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper has taken to directly stumping for the controversial process—while still sitting in office.
