20 March 2015, 14:38 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Forty percent of US citizens oppose the practice of hydraulic fracturing or fracking, while the same number – 40 percent say they support the procedure, a Gallup opinion poll said Monday.
The attitude toward the much-debated fracking issue highlights differences in the US' highly divided political environment, the Gallup said.
A solid majority of Republicans, 66 percent, support fracking, while only 26 percent of Democrats are in favor of the practice.
13 March 2015, 19:35 GMT
The poll came after US President Barack Obama's administration announced the first nationwide safety rules for fracking. The administration said it was tightening rules on fracking, trying to make the oil and gas extraction method safer for the environment.
Fracking is a technique for the extraction of shale gas through the high-pressure injection of a toxic fluid mixture deep underground. It is widely considered to be dangerous for the environment. Environmental experts have proven that the toxic materials contained by fracking fluid contaminate the groundwater.
Americans Split on Support for #Fracking in Oil, Natural Gas… http://t.co/qd6rEtnSZw pic.twitter.com/HCmQWscLoE— GallupNews (@GallupNews) 23 Март 2015