allowing it to flow to the well head . The drilling is typically done horizontally but sometimes vertically to reach the rock layer . While it is often used to create new pathways for natural gas , it may also be used to extend channels that already exist inside the rock .
The earliest recorded well fracking was in 1947 . Since that time , it has gained popularity and garnered a great deal of controversy . As with all controversies , both sides think that they are right — so we are going to address the arguments head-on , separating fact from fiction .
No , really : What ’ s wrong with it ? Fracking , or hydraulic fracturing , is a method used to recover oil and gas from shale rock . It involves drilling deep into the earth , then directing a high pressure mixture of 98.5 percent water , 1 percent sand and 0.5 percent chemical additives at the rock , thus fracturing it to release the gas and
Argument # 1 : Fracking will worsen climate change . Fracking produces methane and certain groups are concerned that it will escape through leaks in natural gas infrastructures . Methane has been linked to climate change because when it is emitted into the atmosphere it traps a tremendous amount of heat — in excess of 20 times more over a 100-year period than carbon dioxide . Environmental activists have latched onto this , using it in their arguments to ban fracking .
To get the full story , though , you have to look at the whole picture .
15