Saturday, August 13, 2011

To Frack or not to Frack

LA Times-- (with update*)

"A federally-appointed panel recommended greater disclosure and monitoring of the environmental effects of extracting natural gas from shale formations, marking the Obama administration's first broad assessment of the controversial practice known as fracking.

A coast-to-coast shale gas boom has raised concerns about the risks to underground water supplies from hydraulic fracturing, which involves mixing sand, water and chemicals and injecting them into shale formations at high pressure to unlock the gas. Environmental groups, local residents and politicians in areas rich with shale gas have said that hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," could lead to contamination of the water table. The energy industry insists that fracking is safe.

It remains unclear whether the report, issued by an expert panel appointed by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will calm the debate. It's also uncertain if and how its recommendations would be implemented. The administration has not seen it yet."

Trust us: Fracking's Big Oil hype. Shale gas exists, but in addition to the contamination issues, the processing of the gas entails significantly higher costs than ordinary oil-gas refining technologies.

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*updated! for...sabado Gigante-- FZ IPNTCIYM aka, in Cont.Speak "Me n Missus Lackey"

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