"Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at high pressure to fracture shale rocks and release natural gas within."( Dong) There are two completely contradictory views on this process. One side of the question concerns fracking's ability to allow America to become energy independent, while the other describes the many dangers that come with fracking. America must find a way to become less dependent on foreign oil or, most likely, completely independent. But is fracking the answer to energy problems? Hydraulic fracturing may have some necessary economic benefits, but the amount of water used, the chemicals needed, and the risk of causing earthquakes. The production from these fracking wells "constitutes 43% of oil production and 67% of natural gas production in the United States." Companies that participate in fracking conclude that it is environmentally safe, although there is much disagreement with this consensus. Each job requires up to eight million liters of water, sand and up to six hundred different chemicals. These chemicals are made up of many toxins and carcinogens, but only make up about half of the total concentration. Thirty to sixty percent of the materials used are not recovered at the conclusion of the process, resulting in extreme waste of drinking water and widespread poisoning of the population's drinking water. Earthquakes have also been attributed to fracking; causing in some places a substantial increase since fracking began to dominate the area where they are present. Fracking is also credited with polluting the air with methane, benzene and sulfur oxide. (Gibson) Considering these environmental risks, fracking should still be considered as the solution to making the United States less dependent on foreign countries?