Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2015

Abstract

During the last fifteen years, the southwestern United States has recorded exceptional levels of drought and is experiencing a severe water crisis. At the same time, billions of gallons of freshwater are being used each year to supply a booming natural gas development. While not much can be done about the drought, water use could be better monitored and controlled. Deep fracturing technology, or “fracking,” permanently denies human beings the future use of billions of gallons of freshwater because the water used to extract natural gas must be mixed with toxic chemicals, most of which cannot be economically removed.

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