Considering all the money oil and gas companies pay their PR strategists and crisis management gurus, industry officials should have known better than to proclaim with absolute certainty that "fracking," the controversial natural gas extraction process, not only has not, but cannot, contaminate drinking-water supplies. They should have known to leave a little wiggle room should an "issue" arise. But their position has been unequivocal: Can't happen – nowhere, no how, no way. Well, for lack of a more cerebral retort – way! Before we wade into exactly why frackers across the country are in full retreat, let's review for a moment. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts (but it bears repeating), hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," an ultra-aggressive industrial process in which huge amounts of water, sand and a mixture of toxic chemicals are injected deep into the ground under extremely high pressure to create cracks and fissures in shale formations and thereby release the natural gas and oil trapped inside. Although frackers have tried to keep secret the specific chemicals used in the process, scientists have identified a smorgasbord of toxins in "fracking fluid," including known human carcinogens and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. Those ...
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