Ian Duncan on Environmental Impact of Fracking
Drill rig at Swapp Canyon, Utah
Photo credit: slashvee
Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is used to extract shale gas by injecting fluids into the ground to drill and frack a well. This method of obtaining energy has raised environmental concerns and is challenging some existing regulatory regimes. What does the science say? Geoscientist Ian Duncan is a research scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. His current research focuses on the scientific, environmental and public policy aspects of hydraulic fracturing. He talked to EarthSky about what the science says so far about fracking’s environmental impact. To learn more about the basics of fracking, see this interview with geoscientist Eric Potter. These interviews are part of a series, made possible in part by the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin.
