ENERGY »» ENERGY EXTRACTION »» FRACKING »» Feb 15, 2021

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process that uses pressurized liquid to crack rock 8,000 feet below the surface so hydrocarbons such as natural gas can be extracted. This technique calls for several million gallons of water mixed with sand and toxic chemicals to be injected at high pressure into a well to create fractures deep underground. After this mixture is removed, these cracks form conduits along which natural gas and petroleum migrate into the well for extraction. After a well is depleted, it is usually filled with waste water from other fracking operations, creating a permanent disposal site for this toxic byproduct. About 1.7 million fracking wells have already been drilled in 21 states. It is estimated that fracking operations have produced 239 billion gallons of wastewater since 2005, an average of 3 million gallons per well. Exempted from the protections of the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act by the Bush administration, this industry refuses to identify the