Concerns:

There are many lenses to view hydraulic fracturing from.  There are also various ways in which those involved with the natural gas industry can be classified in relation to each other.  For the purposes of emphasizing the influence of misinformation in hydraulic fracturing there were three main categories chosen.  The three categories chosen are all focused on by each interest group in a different way.  The three categories of concern are Fresh Water Use, Jobs and the Economy, and Local Infrastructure and Communities.  Public interest groups tend to focus more on Fresh Water and Local Infrastructures because information there is stronger than in the discussion on Jobs and the Economy.  The Industry will focus most heavily on the contribution of jobs and cheap energy to the economy.

Rather than arguing about who’s claims are correct or incorrect it is most productive to evaluate the information that already exists.  Not covered in these concerns are certain controversies that simply have not been fully understood at this point.  For example methane is a naturally occurring gas found underground.  Methane is also responsible for the contamination of groundwater drinking sources near hydraulic fracturing well sites.  The problem in this situation is that linking groundwater contamination to well operations is an extremely difficult task to accomplish from a legal standpoint.

From reviewing the various sources of information on hydraulic fracturing an individual can broaden their basic knowledge on hydraulic fracturing.  After understanding these three areas of concern one can begin to move towards more specific, and complex information.