Fracking is a method of increasing the amount of oil and gas that can be extracted from a reservoir.
Fracking, combined with directional drilling—including horizontal drilling—allowed U.S. natural gas production to climb 84 percent, and oil production to grow 137 percent since 2005.
Prodigious amounts of new gas recently unlocked by fracking reduced the price of natural gas by $6.83/MCF, a 77 percent decrease, from 2008 to 2020.
Research indicates fracking is not causing water or air pollution, or damaging earthquakes.
Introduction
Hydraulic fracturing, aka “fracking,” is a method for recovering oil and gas from unconventional fossil fuel reservoirs. It involves creating fissures in underground rock formations to stimulate oil or gas movement through a reservoir that is otherwise too difficult to extract oil and gas from. Revolutionary advances in directional drilling, including horizontal drilling, during the past 30 years have made fracking extremely efficient and safe.
Shale formations have good porosity, which are void spaces between the grains of a rock that can hold fluid, but poor permeability, which are pathways connecting those voids. As a result, it has been difficult to produce significant amounts of oil and gas from shale. Overcoming this difficulty, oil companies and researchers developed ways to steer the drill bit so that it can drill deep horizontal (lateral) wells. Then, they use improved fracking technology to create artificial permeability in tight shales by pumping liquid solutions and fine particles of sand at high pressure down to the target formation.
Figure 1: Rough scale graphic of the depth of a fracked well, with water wells plotted at average depth of 300ft.
Economics
Fracking has allowed natural gas and oil to be produced from formations where it was not previously technologically or commercially viable. Natural gas is now produced in 34 states.[1] Fracking, combined with horizontal drilling technologies, allowed gas production to increase approximately 84 percent since 2005.[2] This reversed a decline in production that had begun in the 1970s. This “Shale Revolution” also led to a 137 percent increase in oil production, allowing the [3] United States to become a net-exporter of natural gas by 2017, and to substantially reduce the amount of oil imported. [4][5]
The production increase caused spot prices of natural gas to decline from $8.86 per thousand cubic feet (MCF) in 2008 to $2.03/MCF in 2020,[6] though prices have risen since the Biden administration began pushing anti-U.S. oil and gas production policies.[7]
Through a process called “refracking,” fracking combined with horizontal drilling has increased production of existing wells from which production had been in decline,[8] saving the costs associated with drilling a new well.
Environmental Analysis
Multiple studies show fracking is not a significant risk for water pollution. One study, conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), examined 110,000 fracked oil and gas wells over a six-year period, finding no pollution. The EPA concluded fracking operations are also unlikely to drive any oil or gas into drinking water zones. [9]
This should not be surprising because fracked formations are usually located 6,000 to 10,000 feet underground—far deeper than water wells, which are usually no more than 500 feet deep. [10] Thousands of feet of relatively impervious rock separate fracked wells from water wells, making pollution exceedingly unlikely.
Moreover, multiple studies from universities and local governments have also found that modern well sites do not emit dangerous levels of air pollution. [11]
Fracking can cause minor tremors underground, but they are not strong enough to be felt or to cause damage. Most reported “induced” earthquakes associated with fracking operations come from wastewater injection wells. However, such incidents declined after reinjection pressure was reduced and recycling of wastewater increased. [12]
The low price of natural gas has also allowed it to partially replace coal for electricity production, which has resulted in lower sulfur, nitrogen, mercury, particulates, and carbon dioxide emissions. [13]
Fracking is a method of increasing the amount of oil and gas that can be extracted from a reservoir.
Fracking, combined with directional drilling—including horizontal drilling—allowed U.S. natural gas production to climb 84 percent, and oil production to grow 137 percent since 2005.
Prodigious amounts of new gas recently unlocked by fracking reduced the price of natural gas by $6.83/MCF, a 77 percent decrease, from 2008 to 2020.
Research indicates fracking is not causing water or air pollution, or damaging earthquakes.
Introduction
Hydraulic fracturing, aka “fracking,” is a method for recovering oil and gas from unconventional fossil fuel reservoirs. It involves creating fissures in underground rock formations to stimulate oil or gas movement through a reservoir that is otherwise too difficult to extract oil and gas from. Revolutionary advances in directional drilling, including horizontal drilling, during the past 30 years have made fracking extremely efficient and safe.
Shale formations have good porosity, which are void spaces between the grains of a rock that can hold fluid, but poor permeability, which are pathways connecting those voids. As a result, it has been difficult to produce significant amounts of oil and gas from shale. Overcoming this difficulty, oil companies and researchers developed ways to steer the drill bit so that it can drill deep horizontal (lateral) wells. Then, they use improved fracking technology to create artificial permeability in tight shales by pumping liquid solutions and fine particles of sand at high pressure down to the target formation.
Figure 1: Rough scale graphic of the depth of a fracked well, with water wells plotted at average depth of 300ft.
Economics
Fracking has allowed natural gas and oil to be produced from formations where it was not previously technologically or commercially viable. Natural gas is now produced in 34 states.[1] Fracking, combined with horizontal drilling technologies, allowed gas production to increase approximately 84 percent since 2005.[2] This reversed a decline in production that had begun in the 1970s. This “Shale Revolution” also led to a 137 percent increase in oil production, allowing the [3] United States to become a net-exporter of natural gas by 2017, and to substantially reduce the amount of oil imported. [4][5]
The production increase caused spot prices of natural gas to decline from $8.86 per thousand cubic feet (MCF) in 2008 to $2.03/MCF in 2020,[6] though prices have risen since the Biden administration began pushing anti-U.S. oil and gas production policies.[7]
Through a process called “refracking,” fracking combined with horizontal drilling has increased production of existing wells from which production had been in decline,[8] saving the costs associated with drilling a new well.
Environmental Analysis
Multiple studies show fracking is not a significant risk for water pollution. One study, conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), examined 110,000 fracked oil and gas wells over a six-year period, finding no pollution. The EPA concluded fracking operations are also unlikely to drive any oil or gas into drinking water zones. [9]
This should not be surprising because fracked formations are usually located 6,000 to 10,000 feet underground—far deeper than water wells, which are usually no more than 500 feet deep. [10] Thousands of feet of relatively impervious rock separate fracked wells from water wells, making pollution exceedingly unlikely.
Moreover, multiple studies from universities and local governments have also found that modern well sites do not emit dangerous levels of air pollution. [11]
Fracking can cause minor tremors underground, but they are not strong enough to be felt or to cause damage. Most reported “induced” earthquakes associated with fracking operations come from wastewater injection wells. However, such incidents declined after reinjection pressure was reduced and recycling of wastewater increased. [12]
The low price of natural gas has also allowed it to partially replace coal for electricity production, which has resulted in lower sulfur, nitrogen, mercury, particulates, and carbon dioxide emissions. [13]
