Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are safely unlocking vast U.S. reserves of oil and natural gas found in shale and other tight-rock formations. Developing energy from shale is an advanced process that uses the latest drilling technologies and equipment. As for what fracking means to the United States – the answers, are security, economic growth and jobs, jobs, jobs.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) details how surging domestic oil production is narrowing net petroleum imports – from 60 percent of what the United States used in 2005 to 45 percent in 2011. This change is driven by production from unconventional reserves using fracking and horizontal drilling.
See the documents below for detailed information about the benefits of hydraulic fracturing.
Hydraulic Fracturing Primer is available in both high and low resolution versions.
See high and low resolution versions of individual charts below: