On a pure intellectual level, how can hydraulic fracking not be bad for the environment? Pumping tons of chemical laden fluids deep into the earth to loosen hydrocarbons can't be good. Here is a Bloomberg article on a government panel that released a study saying that fracking can cause environmental damage if not done properly. The panel also recommends that drillers adapt best practices. This may be simplistic, but the country's long-term energy needs must be balanced with safe, appropriate environmental standards. It doesn't benefit industry or the country to ruin land for a short-term gain. There is too much at stake to not get fracking right.
I recommend listening to the July 10th podcast, Game Changer, of the NPR's This American Life, which discusses fracking from many points of view. (You can find the podcast on iTunes.)
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Certainly drilling for natural resources has a potential for negative environmental impact. However, much of the recent furor is misguided and misdirected. The risk to groundwater (i.e. underground aquifer) supplies from a well drilled by a profit motivated operator is minimal. The portion of the well that is being fracked is isolated from groundwater supplies by a mile of rock in multiple strata. the rest of the wellbore is sealed with galvanized steel pipe and cement. The greatest risks to groundwater supplies are tailings from the drill bit settling in the reservoirs and leachings from the cement.
On the other hand, there is a high risk to surface water supplies: lakes, rivers, and streams. Spills can occur while pumping the fluids into the wellbore or recapturing after fracking. Retention ponds can leak or overflow. These events could lead to contamination of the watershed, endangering the water and the life that depends on it.
As the Bloomberg article notes, best practices have been tested and adopted to mitigate these risks. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous operators who will cut corners. They should be found, fined, and, perhaps, denied future drilling permits. The vast majority of operators are conscientious, embracing the best practices to ensure continued drilling opportunities.
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