Research Essay: Hydraulic Fracturing In today's world, energy sources are becoming increasingly scarce, which raises the question, “how will we get enough energy to support future generations? " Many experts believe that hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” is an alternative that will create a clean source of energy to power tomorrow. However, with all alternatives, field research needs to be done to fully identify both the positive and negative aspects of using that specific option. Many people don't know what hydraulic fracturing is or how it is done. “Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, expels natural gas and crude oil from shales buried deep underground using treated, highly pressurized water.” (“Fracking: How It Works, Where It's Done.” Paragraph 1) The breaking down of shale by water releases natural gas, which is obtained, liquefied, and used to power homes, businesses, and even cars. This wide variety of uses for natural gas makes fracking a very attractive option, but the effects on the environment are not yet entirely clear. This raises the question: “what price will we pay to solve the energy crisis?” This question is one that we, as a society and global community, will have to answer soon. To answer such an important question we must first fully understand all aspects of the issue. Two major concerns of US citizens today are the energy crisis and economic instability. Hydraulic fracturing could be the key to solving both of these problems. However, it could also provide economic security in the future. Amy Jaffe, global energy policy expert; states that “By 2020, energy capital will likely have returned to the Western Hemisphere, where it was before the rise of… mid-paper… that our government acted to resolve the cloud of uncertainty around hydraulic fracturing. Until both sides have established full facts and figures, it will not be possible to reach an agreement on the future of fracking. If this agreement is not reached soon we could continue to harm our environment and ourselves. On the other hand, unnecessary protests could prevent us from finding the true potential of a possible solution to our energy crisis. We must ask our government to look into this matter and truly find out the truth about the effects of fracking; at the same time we need to ask the companies responsible for hydraulic fracturing to start fully understanding what they are doing and start conducting safer practices. Until these things happen we may not be able to solve our economic and energy problems of today and tomorrow.