It once was the case that because natural gas is lighter than air, getting it out of the ground was as easy as drilling into the formation and collecting the gas as it rose to the surface. However, as less conventional techniques are being used to develop natural gas from deeper and more difficult to reach deposits, stimulating techniques like hydraulic fracturing or "fracing" (pronounced 'fracking') become increasingly commonplace in natural gas production.

Hydraulic fracing consists of injecting a fluid into the well at pressures up to 15,000 PSI, which 'cracks' or opens up fractures already present in the formation. In addition to the fluid being injected, "propping agents", also known as "proppants", like sand, glass beads, epoxy, or silica sand are injected into the well and serve to prop open the newly widened fissures in the formation, allowing the natural gas to seep to the surface.  (click the image at left to get a better idea how this process works)

But if Democratic Representatives Diana DeGette, Maurice Hinchey and Jared Polis get their way, hydraulic fracturing operations would no longer get the federal rubber stamp of approval. Last week, the three offered a bill that would crackdown on hydraulic fracturing and reverse a measure in the 2005 Energy Policy Act that excluded it from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Critics fear unknown impacts of hydraulic fracturing

Critics of hydraulic fracturing argue that the practice threatens groundwater supplies because it is not exactly known how far the cracks extend away from the well casing after it is perforated. And while the practice seems to be mostly safe, it is not without incident.

"Families, communities, and local governments are upset that the safety of their water has been compromised by a special interest exemption, and we join them in that frustration," said Representative Jared Polis of Colorado, one of the bill's co-sponsors.

In addition to adding oversight, bill co-sponsors want companies using the process to reveal what chemicals are used in the fracing process -- information that is now considered proprietary. A 2008 law passed in Colorado requires companies using fracing to reveal the consistency of the fracing fluid to state regulators, but they do not have to make that information available to the public.

By pioneering technologies that force hydraulic water, sand, and chemicals into tight sand and shale gas formations, companies like Haliburton and Schlumberger have had incredible success releasing previously inaccessible gas. But critics argue that the Energy Policy Act, crafted largely by former Vice President Dick Cheney, creates a loophole for an unsafe and untested process that has the potential to threaten drinking water supplies.

"It's time to fix an unfortunate chapter in the Bush administration's energy policy and close the 'Halliburton loophole' that has enabled energy companies to pump enormous amounts of toxins, such as benzene and toluene, into the ground that then jeopardize the quality of our drinking water," Hinchey of New York said.

Industry groups warn of economic impacts

If passed, the bill could prevent the development of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas in the United States. The gas industry argues that regulating fracing will drive up natural gas prices - and they are probably right, as the proliferation of fracing is one of the primary drivers of low natural gas prices in the United States.

Industry groups worry the bill would burden natural gas producers with unnecessary federal regulations and higher costs. A study by IHS Global Insights suggested a substantial drop in natural gas production if new hydraulic fracturing regulations passed.

The study found that additional federal regulations would lower the number of U.S. wells drilled by 20.5 percent over a five-year period, while cutting natural gas production by about 10 percent from 2008 levels by 2014.

Industry groups also argue that hydraulic fracturing has been around for about fifty years and used in nearly one million wells in the United States over that period, with very few accidents or mishaps. Approximately 35,000 wells are hydraulically fractured each year in the United States.

"More than one million wells have been completed using this technology," said American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard in a statement. "Unnecessary regulation of this practice would only hurt the nation's energy security and threaten our economy," argued Gerard.

Another industry group, Energy in Depth, is also pushing back against possible regulation with a public relations campaign of their own. "This campaign is designed to dispel some of the myths and showcase some of the technologies" used by companies in the hydraulic fracturing sector, said Brian Kennedy, spokesman for the Energy in Depth coalition. Kennedy argues that federal regulations would "force the closure of more than half of America's oil wells and a third of our gas wells."

But environmentalists dismiss the pushback as nothing more than fear-mongering. "Whenever they are facing any kind of regulation, they point to some sort of apocalyptic economic impact," said Josh Dorner, spokesman for the Sierra Club.

It is not entirely clear how the so-called FRAC ACT will fare in the Congress, but additional measures have also been introduced to shed more light on the fracing process.

According to a statement released today by Representative Maurice Hinchey, the House Appropriations Committee is on the verge of passing a bill that would formally urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a new study on the risks that fracing pose to drinking water supplies.

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Image credits: 1. Al Granberg of Pro Publica; 2 & 3. Tim Hurst