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Hydraulic Fracturing

Categories: Regulations

It sounds like a very unpleasant visit to the proctologist. It’s actually a way to extract oil and gas from certain geological situations.

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, involves blasting high-pressure liquid into the ground. The pressure breaks up the rock (creates “fractures”), which allows easier collection of oil and gas.

The process is controversial. While it allows extraction from areas otherwise difficult to reach, the liquid can poison water supplies, and has other environmental impacts.

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