Hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) does not use only a lot of water, but also a lot of sand.
In the US a whole new sandmining (or “frac-sand mining”) industry has been created on the crest of the shale gas revolution. Environmental reporter Ellen Cantarow describes the devastating consequences this industry has on some rural communities in the US. “The big thing is, you’re removing the hills that you can’t replace. They’re a huge water manufacturing factory that Mother Nature gave us, and they’re gone.”
Once again, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East and North Africa will monopolize a scarce resource necessary for our energy supply. We cannot allow a sand hill gap!! We must save sand for our children’s future!!
Although there are some legitimate concerns with hydraulic fracturing –at least in regards to the potential release of methane gas into community water supplies– as a rule geologists do not believe it is anywhere near as damaging as “environmental reporters” (i.e. agenda-driven environmentalists who fancy themselves as legitimate journalists) like to claim.
Anyone wanting an unbiased, objective understanding of hydraulic fracturing should check out the EPA’s website on it at http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/class2/hydraulicfracturing/wells_hydrowhat.cfm