The most commonly mentioned benefits of hydraulic fracturing are the economic advantages. In addition to being a major job creator, the industry adds significant value to the U.S. economy and increases state and local tax revenue without the need of increasing tax rates. But two other major benefits are fighting global climate change and promoting domestic energy independence. Natural gas’s share of electricity generation grew from 11% in 1990 to about 26% in 2014, almost exclusively at the expense of coal. This has been crucial to helping the U.S. decrease its carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, since 2005, by substituting natural gas electricity generation for coal and petroleum, the U.S. has reduced carbon emissions by 1,254 million metric tons.
Source: http://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/carbon/
Responses
Some hydraulic fracking must take place to both discover resource and improve technology. The ability to economically produce at lower energy prices was considered unimaginable 5 years ago. As long as other countries are willing to supply resource at low costs, I believe it prudent to use their finante resource than our own overall
The use of fracking to is to my understanding the best method at the current time to produce oil, which is less costly and more efficient than "greener" methods of energy production. If the market can provide a better method of energy, we can then discuss the discontinuation of fracking