Fracking Isn't Just a Battlestar Galactica Curse

Fracking is short for hydraulic fracturing, a process used to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation found beneath parts of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. It involves forcing water, sand, and some not so nice chemicals under high pressure into the ground. Problem is that some of those chemicals and that water finds its way into the wells and drinking water of local residents.

One Pennsylvania resident demonstrated the result—he was able to light on fire a five-gallon container of water he had just gotten from his well. The potential danger to humans has made fracking a controversial practice, and the EPA is in the midst of a study on the risks involved. Read the full article at CNN.
(More fracking stories.)