Many people don’t know that hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is performed safely and responsibly to benefit Texas families all across the state. Read about fracking’s environmental benefits below and watch TXOGA President Todd Staples as he explains how fracking impacts our everyday lives.

Reduced air emissions: Greater equipment and engine efficiency and improved technologies mean less energy consumption – thus lower air emissions – per unit of energy produced.

Horizontal drilling ensures:

Less surface area: The average well site today is 30 percent of the size it was in 1970 and an average well can now access up to 60 times more below-ground area than previously possible.

Fewer wells: Today, operators can drill as few as six to eight wells on a single site to access the same amount of natural gas that once required 16 or more wells drilled from separate locations. Some modern rigs have the capability to drill more than 20 wells from a single drilling site.