How Does Hydraulic Fracturing ("Fracking") Work?

Background

Want to learn more and get updates on this story? Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Hydraulic fracturing or ”fracking” is a drilling process by which natural gas and oil are mined from the earth. Manufacturers use hydraulic fracturing to stimulate wells and recover gas from sources such as coal beds and shale gas formations underground. The process requires some of the most advanced equipment in the production business to fracture, or crack (hence “fracking”), underground rock formations, aiding the flow of oil or natural gas in areas that would otherwise not easily produce resources. The natural gas and oil industry has been using hydraulic fracturing since the 1940s. Today hydraulic fracking is one of the primary ways manufacturers retrieve natural gas. Fracking is performed in nine out of ten of the country’s natural gas wells.

Here is a graphic on the process produced by ProPublica:

Graphic by ProPublica/Creative Commons

How Hydraulic Fracturing Works

Controversy behind hydraulic fracking centers on the negative impact the process may have on groundwater. Fracking requires the mixing of numerous chemicals with sand and water to complete the fracking process. The Environmental Protection Agency has raised concerns that some of these chemicals could contaminate drinking water and has launched an investigation into the issue. A report conducted by Cornell University concluded that hydraulic fracturing could potentially be worse for the environment than coal.

A bill passed by the Texas Senate in May 2011 requires oil and gas operators in the state to disclose the chemicals used in fracking on a website maintained by the Groundwater Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Operators must also file a list of chemicals used with the Railroad Commission of Texas.

Does Fracking cause earthquakes? Read our explainer here.

Latest Posts

Follow this topic

May 24, 2013

Natural Gas Exports to Mexico Skyrocket

Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras are seperated by the Rio Grande, and the international border. Neither barrier stops air pollution from traveling from one side to the other.

A natural gas export boom is already taking place right under our noses.

May 17, 2013

Under New Approval, More Natural Gas Will Be Sent Abroad From Texas

As a drilling boom continues in Texas and other states, the U.S. finds itself with so much natural gas that some companies now want to export domestic fuels abroad. Today, the federal Department of Energy (DOE) announced approval of a second facility, the Freeport LNG Terminal on Quintana Island, to export natural gas in liquid [...]

May 2, 2013

Senate Passes Fracking Wastewater Pipelines Bill

$Each day, dozens of trucks hook up to the Gulf Coast-run fracking fluid disposal well site near Gonzales, TX. A new bill would make it easier to transfer the wastewater by pipeline instead of by truck, potentially reducing roadway damage.$

Update: The Senate unanimously approved SB 514 from the floor this afternoon, according to a representative from Sen. Davis’ office. Original Story: A bill that would reform how fracking wastewater moves to disposal wells could pass through the state Senate today. SB 514, introduced by state Sen. Wendy Davis, D- Fort Worth, would expand the [...]

April 30, 2013

Shale Boom Has Major Impact on Texas’ Budget

$The rise of drilling techniques like hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," has led to new economic prosperity in Texas. (Photo of a Cabot natural gas drill at a fracking site in Pennsylvania.)$

From the Texas Tribune: The impact of the recent boom in shale drilling is hard to miss in some remote Texas towns, where hotels and homebuilders scramble to keep up with the influx of oil and gas workers. But the most significant effect from the boom may be seen in the state’s coffers. Taxes on oil [...]

April 29, 2013

In Texas and Nationwide, Many Shales Left to Explore

A pumpjack in Midland, home to yet another oil boom recently.

From the Texas Tribune: SWEETWATER — About a year ago, talk began circulating in this West Texas town about a huge oil-producing formation called the Cline Shale, east of the traditional drilling areas around Midland. Then the oilmen and their rigs arrived. Now homes and hotels are sprouting, “help wanted” signs have multiplied, and a [...]

April 26, 2013

Harvard Report Gives Failing Grade to FracFocus; Texas Regulators Respond

Kate Konschnik is Policy Director for the Environmental Law and Policy Program at Harvard University and lead author of the study.

FracFocus, the online registry used by Texas and other states to disclose information about hydraulic fracturing, “creates obstacles to [regulatory] compliance” and seems “structurally skewed to delete” records, according to a report from Harvard Law School’s Environmental Law Program. The website is an integral part of the way drillers disclose what chemicals they are putting [...]

April 24, 2013

Sunset Bill Packs More Than New Name For Railroad Commission

While it's called the Railroad Commission of Texas, it actually deals with regulating oil and gas in the state. And a name change isn't likely to happen this session.

Update, May 2, 2013: The Senate Bill passed on the Senate floor today, and now heads to the House. Original story, April 24, 2013: SB 212, which would change the name of the Railroad Commission of Texas to the Texas Energy Resources Commission passed out committee today. The bill would also restrict campaign contributions for [...]

April 22, 2013

Oil Boom Raises Electric Rates in Parts of Texas

As the drilling boom grows in parts of Texas, so has the demand for power, leading to an energy crunch. In this photo, Michael Stephens repairs a power line in South Memphis.

Texas is often called the energy capital of America, so it might come as a surprise that the oil and gas boom has substantially driven electric prices up in some parts of the state. And in those same areas, prices are expected to spike again this summer. To understand why, it’s best to start with the small [...]

April 15, 2013

What to Watch For at the Texas Legislature This Week

A man walks along Lake Travis after water receded during a drought in Austin, Texas September 10, 2011.

It’s crunch time at the Capitol, and legislators have precious little sand left in the hourglass to push bills out of committee. So you’ll see the pace pick up quite a bit in the coming weeks. We at StateImpact Texas have compiled a not-so-short list of important bills on energy and the environment to help [...]

April 12, 2013

Energy Dollars Flow to Texas Politicians

Rep. James "Jim" Keffer, R-Eastland, heads the House Energy Resources Committee.

During a legislative hearing this year related to hydraulic fracturing, state Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, made a reference to what he thought was an unfair portrayal of the industry in the film Promised Land. “My wife’s seen it, she didn’t like it, so don’t go if you haven’t,” Keffer said at the hearing, which featured [...]