During tonight’s national coverage fracking was a topic brought up on multiple occasions. Can someone explain what it is and the pros and cons of it? Need it because a google search did not help :/
In: Biology
Fracking is a process of getting oil or natural gas of rocks, mostly shale, that tend to be very deep in the earth. It involves drilling to where the shale is located, then pumping in a mixture of fluid and sand at very high pressure to break up the rock. This releases the oil from the rock and allows it to be pumped out for use in different petroleum products, like gasoline. Much of the US oil is deposited in shale. Pros of fracking are that it can be done in the US, so it reduces dependence on foreign oil, provides a lot of jobs, and contributes to the economy both in terms of oil and gas sales and the industries that use oil and gas products. The cons are that it is more expensive than traditional oil drilling, uses chemicals, produces more greenhouse gasses, and can cause air and water pollution.
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