RE: Fracking: Our Natural Gas & Energy at Stake

Thanks for this very interesting blog, that I just found through to the distilled (I was away last week due to a conference, and I now need to catch up). I have a couple of (probably very naive) questions.

The well reaches its "kick-off point" at (2500–3000) meters, where it can begin the process of "horizontal drilling." The wellbore then twists 90 degrees and travels horizontally for 1.5 kilometers through a crushed black stratum known as "shale rock formation."

How do they choose when (i.e. at which depth) to start drilling horizontally?

Fracking's vigorous pumping, and flushing require an average of 3-6 million gallons of water each well, according to estimates.

Can’t we recycle used water? Does it really need to be fresh water?

I will finish this reply with a comment and a personal opinion.

Fracking has undeniably changed the global energy picture, but for what long-term advantage and at what cost, one could ask?

Whereas it is important to have various sources of energy, in my opinion natural gas cannot really help more than on short term. Currently, the best mid-term option is definitely nuclear… However, this is by far not accepted by most… Yes, there are issues with nuclear energy, but compared with the issues associated with other sources of energy, I think that it is still a winning option (together with the development of alternatives).