What the ‘frack?’

Sublette County residents want oil and gas companies to disclose what chemicals are being used in their hydraulic fracking process — a technique used to break up rock or coal formations in the earth, allowing oil and gas to flow more easy to wells. Fluid made up of water and chemicals is pumped into the rock, creating pressure and causing it to break or fracture. Currently companies do not have to tell what chemicals they use. The problem with that lack of information is not knowing how to properly treat energy industry workers injured by the chemicals while placing medical personnel in danger when treating them. Another concern is the risk of those potentially toxic chemicals seeping into drinking water systems, as some of the fluids remain underground after the fracking process...read more