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The Truth About Fracking

The Truth About Fracking

Full Title:  The Truth About Fracking
Author(s): Chris Mooney
Publisher(s):  Scientific American
Publication Date: November 1, 2011
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):

The article discusses hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, a method used to harvest natural gas from shale layers, and examines the possibility that fracking can pollute drinking water. Horizontal fracking, which is done using large amounts of water and chemicals, is being researched by scientists and engineers such as Anthony Ingraffea as a possible cause of methane contamination in water wells. The state of New York may give drilling access to the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations, despite the fact that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not finished a major safety study. Diagrams are provided which show how horizontal fracking works and how groundwater could be contaminated.

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