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[Sensei]

I've been looking at undertaking a petroleum engineering degree in Montana, Montana Tech has a laboratory dedicated to frac fluids (which hydraulically fracture oil-bearing stone) and propent (a sandy/gravelly material used to keep those fractures open). The frac fluid could conceivably (but not reliably) end up in a water table, and on that issue the professor at the college spoke briefly to say that it's made from water, clay and natural polymers, and should be harmless. The propent is stone or ceramic and clearly harmless even from a layman's level of information.

Also, apparently it bugs people when you spell "Frac" with a K, since the word is supposed to be related to fracturing. If you're going to say "fracking" you really might just as well say fracturing fluid.

Also, I'm pretty sure windmills are harmless, so there's that.

[sluissa]

Honestly, "Natural Polymers" could mean anything. A: Not everything natural is safe. B: There's no telling, without more details, what those polymers might eventually break down into even if they're safe in their used form. C: Again, what people are complaining about the most is the methane, the thing that's already in the ground and that they're seeking to harvest, the methane itself getting into ground water.

[MaximumZero]

I still hope I'll see Vacuum Energy in my lifetime. Not bloody likely, but hey.

[alway]

The US oil dependency is a myth at this point. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-29/u-s-was-net-oil-product-exporter-in-2011.html

That's refined petroleum products, not crude oil.  In terms of crude oil, the US is nowhere remotely close to self sufficiency.  It's like how the UK is a net exporter of chocolate candies despite being a massive importer of the products those chocolates are actually made from.

What's happening is that we are importing middle eastern oil, refining it in the southeast and gulf coast then re-exporting, mostly to Latin America, IIRC.  Oil refineries aren't exactly cheap to build and the middle east isn't well known for be a safe place to invest in.  So the historical US oil refinery industry has stuck around, just importing crude oil to replace american crude.

Ah, okay, thanks for clearing that up.

[mainiac]

Honestly, "Natural Polymers" could mean anything. A: Not everything natural is safe. B: There's no telling, without more details, what those polymers might eventually break down into even if they're safe in their used form. C: Again, what people are complaining about the most is the methane, the thing that's already in the ground and that they're seeking to harvest, the methane itself getting into ground water.

Yes, just because something is "natural" doesn't mean that it's good to have in the water table.  Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake bay being a fine example.  None of the pollutants we are most worried about getting into the bay are toxic.  But these non toxic pollutants throw of the ecosystem and destroy hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars of economic activity, as well as destroying one of the greatest natural treasures in this country.  Pennsylvania is the leader in fracking so it's a rather important case to consider.