2017

Although hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") has been used for many years on a limited basis, relatively recent advances in technology have allowed fracking to become extremely effective in accessing previously inaccessible deposits of oil and natural gas, resulting in much lower prices for gasoline as well as oil and gas for heating. However, the euphoria of lowered fuel prices during a prolonged period of recession has overshadowed the negative effects of hydraulic fracturing, both directly and indirectly, on local water sources as well as the damage inflicted to the environment by cheaper fossil fuels.