I have been an ardent believer in the opportunity unleashed by American ingenuity and risk taking in the oil patch. Hydraulic fracturing has brought forth a wealth of clean burning natural gas, reducing the need for coal in electricity production. HOWEVER, this process has the potential to cause environmental damage. Those who reject the use of fossil fuels have falsely accused hydraulic fracturing of causing widespread ground water pollution, a claim that has been refuted in studies cited in this section. Never the less, rational approaches, described in this article make environmental sense.
From The Hill, “When it comes to shale and the environment, a focus on infrastructure, not just fracking” by Deborah D. Stine and Jared L. Cohon, contributors.
When thinking about the potential impact of shale gas development on the environment, news often focuses on the hydraulic fracturing process itself that occurs underground, but the accompanying infrastructure needed at the surface to drill wells and extract, process, and transport the gas does not receive as much media attention. This infrastructure includes well pads, access roads and pipelines that move the shale gas from wells either to processing facilities and eventually our homes for heating, cooking and other uses, or to the manufacturing sector for liquid natural gas products.
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