Ali Venosa: Important Web Resources

1. Rigzone
Rigzone, which describes itself as “your gateway to the oil and gas industry,” is a great
resource for the latest news on developments in fracking technology. It also provides a very thorough directory of companies involved in drilling. It covers a wide range of information and is a great place to go for news updates on many aspects of fracking.
 
2. Energy in Depth http://energyindepth.org/
Energy In Depth was launched by the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and is designed to share facts about developing and utilizing the U.S.’s onshore energy stores. It is more on the pro-fracking side, but does provide some good links to news stories, developments in the fracking world and polls.
 
3. Environmental Engineering and Contracting Inc.
EEC, a company that provides environmental consulting services, is a good website to
visit to get a different perspective on fracking. Though it isn’t a specifically fracking- oriented site, there are explanations on how things like wastewater and compliance are dealt with from a regulatory standpoint. EEC explains the way sites are assessed for environmental compliance, and compliance is obviously a big part of fracking becoming greener.
 
4. Energy From Shale
Energy From Shale is another website with the aim of providing factual information for
the public about hydraulic fracturing. It is clearly in favor of fracking, since it provides a large section on the benefits of fracking, but it is a useful resource for learning about some of the more positive aspects of fracking. There is a section on environmental commitment that provides insight into wastewater, emissions, earthquakes, and drilling sites.
 
5. EPA-Hydraulic Fracturing
This branch of the EPA’s main website focuses on fracking, and is a clear, reliable
resource for information. This site is especially useful for finding facts about new and current regulations, laws on fracking, and how the EPA is working to make fracking more environmentally friendly. It is balanced in the sense that it provides factual information, but would obviously fall into the category of being more interested in health and environmental effects than profits.
 

For More Information

1. Triple Pundit
 
2. FracFocus
 
3. U.S. Geological Survey
 
4. What Is Fracking?
 
5. Scientific American
 
6. ScienceMag