In 2000, shale fields provided only 1% of America's natural gas supply. Today this percentage is around 25%, an exponential growth (“Is fracking a good idea?”). Much of that increase in production is due to the growing popularity of hydraulic fracturing otherwise known as “fracking,” a process used to release oil or gas from underground formations that would otherwise be too difficult to extract. According to the US Energy Information Administration, “Shale gas fields in the United States, particularly the Marcellus, in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New York, and the Barnett, in Texas, contain enough natural gas to power the country for 110 years.” . From an economic perspective, fracking appears to be the answer to our energy conflict when the benefits are clear. However, while all these statistics seem just dandy, the process of fracking appears to many to be a huge problem and a threat to the environment and dangerous to human health, but a problem that can be solved. While this topic is very difficult to address, I have come to believe that fracking is the answer to our energy crisis, at least for now. The main reasoning for this is that it is simply easier to solve and understand how to prevent the environmental risks associated with a viable energy resource, rather than finding an entirely new energy source as a whole. The only clear advantage of fracking is its economic benefits and the simple fact that fracking actually works. Fracking has given us tons of new supplies of clean-burning natural gas and oil made from shale, a rock made of mud and clay that couldn't actually be used for anything else. These supplies give our country hope regarding the availability of energy to... half of the paper......do. While this topic is certainly subjective, I believe the answer is clear. Fracking is revolutionary and is undeniably a realistic way to acquire natural gas and oil. There are definitely downsides to the process, however, as Ryan Lance stated, they have only scratched the surface of the benefits humanity can gain from hydraulic fracturing. As the years pass, technology will advance, new elements consistent with fracking, etc. may be discovered. Try as we might, the future cannot be predicted. However, when it comes to the production and extraction of a natural resource, I do not believe there is currently a more predictable and reliable solution to this environmental crisis. Fracking works, and as humans adapt and grow intellectually, I believe the fracking process will have very few drawbacks. All we can do now is try to eliminate the flaws associated with it.