Summary: It’s probably safe to say that most Americans are unaware of what the term “fracking” means. If you’ve heard of it, the details can be hard to pin down due to the controversy surrounding the method of gas extraction. With mainstream movies like Gasland and The Promised Land on their side, those opposing fracking have easily buried the truth below layers of myths. Fortunately, as we no longer live in a time when Hollywood and the left are the only media outlets, understanding what fracking truly entails is not completely lost. Fracking, as it is commonly called, refers to a process of drilling and hydraulic fracturing to retrieve oil and natural gas trapped underground. Water pressure pushes a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into shale rock, which causes fractures and allows the oil and natural gas to escape out of the well. States that have embraced fracking have seen economic booms that have created thousands of jobs and the ability to flourish in an economy otherwise lacking. For instance, in Pennsylvania the Marcellus Shale has created 140,000 jobs and has added $1.1 billion in state and local tax revenues; in addition to the production of billions of dollars worth of natural gas energy, which brings down the cost of natural gas for all Americans. With an estimated 24 billion barrels of oil and 480 trillion cubic feet of natural gas potentially underground, fracking is being hailed as the answer to the country’s energy security. Of course no advancement this groundbreaking, pun completely intended, goes without skepticism from some and fracking is no exception. Opponents have spent millions spreading unfounded rumors as to why fracking is, in their opinion, the potential downfall of the world. Let’s take a look at the most common myths and the evidence that refutes them. Fracking will cause your tap water to catch fire. The movie, Gasland, set this rumor ablaze. One particular scene shows a man lighting the water pouring from his kitchen faucet. The fact is tap water could be lit on fire long before fracking came about due to naturally occurring methane pockets in the ground. If your water comes from a well and the drilling was done poorly, you stand a chance of having flammable water. Investigators later checked the man’s house and found the methane in his water was due to the way his well was drilled, fracking played no role. Additionally, when the filmmaker was confronted by the director of the pro-fracking film FrackNation about why he failed to mention the fact that tap water could be lit on fire regardless of fracking, he claimed the information “wasn’t relevant.” Your tap water will be contaminated. To protect the groundwater, each well is fortified with layers of concrete and steel casing which is cemented in place. They are also constantly monitored as an additional safety precaution. The wells are thousands of feet below the water table, with solid rock between the two. As John Stossel points out in the Washington Examiner, the chemicals used in fracking would have to flow up against gravity through solid rock to breach the water. Even EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, who is notoriously against fossil fuels, had to admit to Congress that there have been no “proven cases where the fracking process itself has affected water.” Toxins and carcinogens are used in the fracking fluid and much of it is left in the ground. The fluid used in the fracking process is 99.5% water and sand. While there are hundreds of chemicals (of which many are biodegradable) that can be used in the process, the most common chemicals used are also found in your house. For instance, sodium chloride may be used and is also used in table salt. Guar gum is another chemical used in fracking and can also be found in ice cream. If you attempt to search online for a list of the chemicals that can be used
