What is the fracking problem?

A growing U.S. population also demands a growing need for energy. It is lucky then, that the U.S. apparently has an abundant supply of natural gas. Most natural gas in the U.S. is not close to the surface, it is usually obscured by rocks, shale or coal. This is where hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"comes in. Fracking is a process of extracting natural gas through injecting water, proppants and chemicals down a well to fracture the rock and shale so that the gas escapes through the cracks and can be collected.

This sounds harmless, but is it?

First concern is the chemicals being injected into the well which include: hydrochloric acid, peroxydisulfates, gluteraldehyde, sodium or potassium carbonate, acetic acid, methanol, ammonium bisulfate, sodium acrylate-acrylamide copolymer, polyacrylamide (PAM), petroleum distillates, ammonium chloride, ethylene glycol, polyacrylate, isopropanol and ethoxylated alcohol. The oil and gas industry state that the chemical component of the tracking fluid is between 0.5-2% of the total volume of fluid. This doesn't sound like much but when they pump millions of gallons of this fluid into the ground the chemical build-up is somewhere between 80-330 tons. The fluid does not stay in the well, there are frequent flowbacks and blowouts where the fluid is pushed back up to the surface. This fluid, it is believed, contaminates ground water in the surrounding areas (there is currently not much proof since no in-depth studies have been done to determine the effects of fracking fluid leaching into ground water). However, a 2011 report by MIT stated that there was evidence of natural gas migration into fresh water supplies most likely caused by substandard fracking wells. A 2011 Duke University study also raised concerns about explosion hazards due to the common build up of methane gas in fracking wells.

The New York Times reported on the discovery of radiation in the fracking wastewater which is processed through water treatment plants. However, water treatment plants do not test for radioactivity and are not equipped to remove radioactive elements from the water, so much of the radioactive elements remain in the water and are pumped back into the water supply.

Elevated levels of Iodine-131 was found in Philadelphia's drinking water a chemical that has been linked to thyroid cancer. Iodine-131 is a radioactive tracer used in hydraulic fracturing and Philadelphia is down river from shale fracking operations.

Second concern is the geological stability of the disposal of fracking fluid. On Christmas Eve and New Years Eve 2011, Youngstown, Ohio experienced a 2.7 and a 4.0 earthquake - a very rare occurrence. However, in 2011 Youngstown, Ohio has seen an increase in earthquakes with nine seismic events from March-November 2011. Concerned about the increase in geologic instability, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in November 2011 asked Columbia University's Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) to place mobile seismographs in the vicinity to better determine what was going on.

The study found that the likely cause of the quakes was due to fracking wastewater being injected into the ground. Apparently, the fluid created lubrication between two abutting rock faces and caused slippage along the rock boundary. The geological instability from the waste water pumping will be felt for at least another year even if no more water is pumped into the ground. Ohio has suspended this practice pending a full investigation.

Most of this evidence is circumstantial, however, it is compelling considering that many of these occurrences have been increasing in intensity and frequency since the fracking boom began five or six years ago. The practice of fracking should be investigated and scientifically tested by independent observers to ascertain if it can be done safely without environmental degradation. Of course, the best thing to do is to put more investment into developing energy that is not dependent on fossil fuels, since this is the only truly sustainable path forward.