Hydraulic Fracturing: Books

An award-winning journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist offers an insightful, no-holds-barred exploration of today's most controversial yet promising new energy technology: fracking. Russell Gold, a brilliant and dogged investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal, has spent more than a decade reporting on one of the biggest stories of our time: the spectacular, world-changing rise of fracking. Recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and a recipient of the Gerald Loeb Award for his work, Gold has traveled along the pipelines and into the hubs of this country’s energy infrastructure; he has visited frack sites from Texas to North Dakota; and he has conducted thousands of interviews with engineers and wildcatters, CEOs and roughnecks, environmentalists and politicians. He has also sifted through reams of engineering reports, lawsuit transcripts, and financial filings. The result is an essential book;a commanding piece of journalism, an astounding study of human ingenuity, and an epic work of storytelling. Fracking has vociferous critics and fervent defenders, but the debate between these camps has obscured the actual story: Fracking has become a fixture of the American landscape and the global economy. It has upended the business models of energy companies around the globe, and it has started to change geopolitics and global energy markets in profound ways.

There is a strong need for innovation and the development of viable renewable energy sources. The technology, a controversial process that is alternatively called hydraulic fracturing, fracking, fracing, or hydrofracking, has greatly expanded natural gas production in the United States. The book covers all facets of the issue, including ongoing controversies about the environmental and operator safety issues arising from possible water pollution, drinking water contamination, on-the-job safety hazards, and harmful chemical exposure to workers and residents near well areas. The author discusses both the pros and cons of hydraulic fracturing, explaining the process in great detail.

This book presents both sides of a very controversial subject in today's media: induced hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." It covers the technology and methods used in hydraulic fracturing in easy-to-understand language, for the engineer and layperson alike, presenting the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing.

The Current Controversies series examines today's most important social and political issues. Each volume presents a diverse selection of primary sources representing all sides of the debate in question.

The use of fracking is a tremendously important technology for the recovery of oil and gas, but the advantages and costs of fracking remain controversial. This book examines the issues and social, economic, political, and legal aspects of fracking in the United States. * Provides readers with a complete historical review of the origins, development, and expansion of the use of fracking * Explains the technical principles related to the use of fracking in clear, nontechnical language * Presents an unbiased review of the arguments for and against the use of fracking for the recovery of oil and gas * Supplies a summary of the history of the use of fracking in the United States.

In Frackopoly, Wenonah Hauter, one of America's leading clean-water advocates, argues that the rush to fracking is dangerous to the environment and treacherous to human health. This is the first book to describe how the fracking industry began, the technologies that make it possible, the destruction and poisoning of clean water sources and the release of harmful radiation from deep inside shale deposits. With a wealth of new data, Frackopoly is essential and riveting reading for anyone interested in protecting the environment and ensuring a healthy and sustainable future.

Gary Sernovitz leads a double life. A typical New York liberal, he is also an oilman - a fact his left-leaning friends let slide until the word "fracking" entered popular parlance. "How can you frack?" they suddenly demanded, aghast. But for Sernovitz, the real question is, "What happens if we don't?" Fracking has become a four-letter word to environmentalists. But most people don't know what it means. In his fast-paced, funny, and lively book, Sernovitz explains the reality of fracking: what it is, how it can be made safer, and how the oil business works. He also tells the bigger story. Fracking was just one part of a shale revolution that shocked our assumptions about fueling America's future. The revolution has transformed the world with consequences for the oil industry, investors, environmentalists, political leaders, and anyone who lives in areas shaped by the shales, uses fossil fuels, or cares about the climate - in short, everyone.

Constantly in the news and the subject of much public debate, fracking, as it is known for short, is one of the most promising yet controversial methods of extracting natural gas and oil. Today, 90 percent of natural gas wells use fracking. Though highly effective, the process-which fractures rock with pressurized fluid-has been criticized for polluting land, air, and water, and endangering human health. Written for general readers, Hydrofracking clearly explains both the complex science of fracking and the equally complex political and economic issues that surround it.