All About Oil & Gas
The history of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, dates all the way back to 1947. But what is fracking? How does it work? Here we'll answer some of the basic questions about fracking and debunk some common myths. Keep scrolling to get the facts about fracking!
Simply put, fracking allows companies to produce more oil and natural gas. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Texas’ annual oil production increased by over 225 percent from 2007 to 2017 thanks to fracking. The process involves injecting water deep into the ground to crack rock, which allows more oil or natural gas to flow. On average, the process only takes about three to five days to complete. Once the well is “completed," it is ready to produce oil and natural gas for years to come.
Over 99 percent of fracking fluid is water and sand. The other additives are things you’ll also find under your kitchen sink. One of the most prevalent additives is guar, which is an emulsifying agent that’s also found in ice cream, toothpaste, and numerous other products.
No. This rumor started with the anti-fracking film Gasland, which showed a man in Colorado lighting his faucet on fire and blaming fracking. Before the film was released, however, Colorado regulators had investigated the case and determined it had nothing to do with oil and natural gas development. In many places, people have been able to light their tap water on fire long before fracking was around, due to naturally occurring methane pockets.
No. Fracking only accounts for 0.1% of water use across the United States. Other energy sources require far more water, and scientists at the University of Texas have determined that increased natural gas use is actually helping our state use less water as we meet our growing energy needs. Interestingly, when natural gas is burned, it actually releases water vapor.
No. Fracking is used in approximately 95 percent of all oil and gas wells in the United States -- including here in North Texas. In fact, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled that "wells in the Barnett Shale require fracture stimulation to produce." The Court has also found that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is essential to the recovery of oil and gas.