Fracking

            The Process of fracking or hydro-fracturing to retrieve oil and natural gas is a process that is popping up all over the United States that proves to be a successful alternative to normal drilling.  Even being so successful in retrieving the oil and natural gas it does come with complications that may be enough to get the fairly new process banned within the United States Borders.  If studies continue to prove the relationship between fracking and water contamination more and more states may ban the process.  

            Studies done by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, have been able to link the process of fracking to water contamination in wells and underground aquifers. “In a first, federal environment officials today scientifically linked underground water pollution with hydraulic fracturing, concluding that contaminants found in central Wyoming were likely caused by the gas drilling process” (Lustgarten and Kusnetz).   In Wyoming ground water contamination near fracking site was concluded to be due to the fracking. Several of the compounds found in the contaminated water were proved to be used in drilling process.  The debate is that the contamination is not from the drilling with their argument being that the fluids are forced down below water sources with precautions set up to keep them from rising back up.

            If hydraulic fracturing is proved across the board to be the reasoning for water contamination then it will be a known threat and will be likely banned all together. The research continues to try and prove whether or not the fracking process is an actual threat to our water resources or not.   With some information being inconclusive as to where the point of contamination actually is hydro fracturing continues to be practiced in some states and will continue until more conclusive research actually emerges.