Why Fracking Remains a Lightning Rod for Controversy

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been thrust back into the public spotlight as Vice President Kamala Harris’ change of position on it comes under scrutiny given her campaign for the White House. The groundbreaking technique for oil and gas extraction that vaulted the US to energy independence has for years been a lightning rod for controversy. Many environmentalists oppose it because of its impact on water, carbon emissions and earthquakes, while proponents defend it as key to the US economy.

Fracking was first used commercially in 1949 in the oil- and gas-rich US state of Oklahoma. The technique involves forcing water mixed with sand and chemicals into a well to create fissures in underground rocks known as shale so that oil or gas trapped inside can be captured. Advances in another technique, horizontal drilling, came in the early 1980s and opened up access to thin layers of shale deep underground. The subsequent exploitation of the Barnett Shale formation in North Texas proved large-scale fracking was economically viable.