A task force set up by President Obama has reported that fracking for shale gas presents serious environmental risks (as if they would say anything else).
The report underscores differences in public perception of the potential consequences of gas fracking. Industry advocates say the technique hasn’t caused a major incident for more than 60 years, though current techniques were introduced less than a decade ago. Opponents cite failures and accidents that result in tainting drinking water.
If the worst that has happened in 60 years is occasional tainted drinking water, it looks like a pretty benign technology to me.