Conca, J. (2016, August 28). Fracking Really Isn’t So Bad. Retrieved August 29, 2016, from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2016/08/28/fracking-really-isnt-so-bad/#5690ff5

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Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, for natural gas is a process that uses pressurized, chemically treated water to access stores of natural gas in shale rock formations.  The gases produced by the process have led to concern over the environmental and public safety hazards caused by fracking.  This article addresses many of these concerns and argues that the process is safe when done properly.  Conca argues that fracking for gas is the more environmentally friendly than extracting coal or oil and that much of the emissions from fracking sites are due to mechanical inefficiencies and not the fracking process itself.  
This article shows that the use of fracking is still controversial.  The environmental concerns could mean restrictions on the process, limiting our use of natural gas.  The EPA has reduced its estimates of emissions from fracking processes.  Natural gas has is set to become the backup energy source to renewable energy and its environmental effects and restrictions placed on it could shift where we get our energy from.  If the EPA finds it is less damaging to the environment than other processes, I think fracking seems to be a better way to get our energy when renewables aren’t enough.