The fracking industry has created hundreds of thousands of jobs since 1949

Federal subsidies have boosted US fracking profits

Between 2000 and 2020, the US government invested tens of billions of dollars to facilitate the extraction of shale oil and gas reserves. These subsidies helped make new projects viable and kept fossil fuel companies afloat while global energy prices and renewable energy startup costs have fallen.

Fracking provides access to fossil fuel reserves locked in underground rock

Using a pressurized fluid mixture that is over 90% water, cracks are created in shale about 2 miles deep to release trapped oil and natural gas. The process uses an average of 3 to 6 million gallons of water per well, which can strain local water supplies.

As of 2024, approximately 44% of Americans support fracking

This makes the method less popular than carbon-free forms of energy production, such as solar, wind, and nuclear power, but more popular than coal mining. Support for fracking increased 7% from 2020 to 2024, primarily due to increased support from Republicans and older Americans.

Fracking has led to an increased global oil supply, contributing to lower oil prices

Fracking technology has significantly increased how much crude oil the US produces. As more countries adopt fracking technology, there could be an increased downward pressure on prices—although fracking has been widely criticized for its negative environmental impacts.

In 2019, the US became a net energy exporter thanks to the fracking boom

The US began exporting more energy than it consumed that year, making it a net energy exporter. Energy imports have decreased every year since 2007, as improved technology has increased the number of accessible domestic oil and natural gas reserves.

The value of fracking is dependent on international energy markets

Russia's war in Ukraine spurred calls in the US to increase fracking, which has historically reduced dependence on foreign nations and increased national security. However, some experts argue that renewable energy provides even better energy independence, as fracking investments may not be worthwhile if importing fossil fuels is significantly cheaper.

About 10% of the world's crude oil and 32% of its natural gas is reached via fracking

Most of the world's shale oil resources—which are recoverable via fracking—are found in Russia, the US, China, Argentina, and Libya. The majority of equivalent shale gas resources are found in China, Argentina, Algeria, the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Many chemicals used in fracking fluid have been classified as toxic

Although the fluid has been known to leach into drinking water supplies, raising health concerns, fracking is exempt from federal clean water regulations due to a loophole in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 championed by former US Vice President Dick Cheney.

Fracking brought short-term wealth and long-term collapse to Rock Springs, Wyoming

In the early 2000s, the fracking boom transformed the quiet mining town into a hub of oil field laborers with plentiful job opportunities. Once the boom faded and industry left, unaffordable housing, unsafe working conditions, and drug epidemics left many residents with no prospects amid a disappearing way of life.

Fracking originated in the American Civil War

After witnessing how artillery created fissures in narrow water channels, a Civil War veteran wondered if the process could be replicated in underground wells to extract oil. He patented an "exploding torpedo" for this purpose, which became the foundation for future fracking techniques.

Fracking rates may increase with the construction of new data centers

In Pennsylvania, plans to build at least five new facilities supported by gas-fired power plants are expected to escalate public health risks through surges in air and water pollution. Data center water demands are expected to further strain local resources.

Rising fracking rates have increased prices of some food products

Every fracking well uses approximately 20,000 pounds of guar gum, a thickening and stabilizing agent commonly used in ice cream, salad dressing, and baked goods. The polysaccharide is also a key component in some cosmetics and explosives.

Data suggests fossil fuels are the dirtiest and most dangerous energy sources

Although all energy sources have trade-offs, fossil fuels emit the most greenhouse gases per unit of energy and have the highest rate of accidents. Low-carbon energy sources—including nuclear power—have the lowest death rates and fewest adverse climatic effects.

Texas is the state with the most energy sector employees

Texas has more than 990,000 individuals in the energy sector—roughly eight out of every 100 workers statewide. Oil and natural gas production account for more than 289,000 workers.

The North American waste management market was worth $208B in 2019

Burning waste to generate energy is a $10B industry in the US alone. A growing number of major companies—including Amazon, Subaru, and American Airlines—are pursuing "zero landfill" sustainability goals.

Demystifying the claim that crude oil is inorganically created and a renewable resource

The abiogenic petroleum theory holds that fossil fuels originate in Earth's mantle and are constantly replenished, rather than formed by microorganisms over millions of years. While inorganic chemical processes can produce simple hydrocarbons, the range of complex molecules found in crude oil suggests an origin from a diverse set of organisms. Isotope analyses of these molecules also support the model that they originated from living things that preferentially take up certain isotopes over others.

The film industry is responsible for more than 200K jobs in California

Hollywood films generate roughly $49B for the US economy each year. In California, the film industry provides more than 200,000 jobs. Industry employees were paid more than $42B in wages in 2022.

Across a 20-year period, methane has more than 80 times the warming potential of CO₂

However, this greenhouse gas lasts only about 12 years in the atmosphere, much less than the centuries or more that carbon dioxide can persist. Methane is produced primarily during the production, storage, and transmission of coal, natural gas, and oil, as well as from the digestive processes of domestic livestock.

Large oil companies knew about the impact of carbon emissions since the ’70s

PBS Frontline’s The Power of Big Oil reveals how industry giants like Exxon and Shell were researching climate change in the 1970s but then funded denial campaigns—using internal science to sow public doubt for decades.

The hidden engineering of gas stations

Contemporary gas stations are the result of a century of engineering progress. In the early 1900s, only a few thousand cars drove around, and they used kerosene. As vehicles and cheaper gasoline became more popular, fire hazards grew, forcing the invention of fuel pumps, underground storage tanks, and the automatic shutoff valve—all engineering marvels.

How microbes limited the damage and helped clean up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

A bloom estimated to contain about 100 sextillion microbial cells broke down much of the 4.1 million barrels of spilled crude oil into nontoxic compounds in what was one of the most significant bioremediations of a human-made disaster. The microbes involved acted similarly to the first patented genetically modified organism in US history: an oil-eating bacterium engineered in 1971.

NASA economic impact (and budget history)

It's estimated that for every dollar NASA spends on its programs, $8 is produced in US economic growth. With a 2023 budget of roughly $25 billion, that means NASA helped create $200 billion in economic value. The administration's investments pay off so massively due to the technologies it develops, many of which become commercially appealing. Dive into the economic impact of NASA's development here.

There's some evidence that working from home has helped the environment

Those who work fully remote can have a 54% lower carbon footprint than on-site laborers, according to one 2023 study. For instance, the share of Americans driving to work alone decreased by about 7% between 2019 and 2022, significantly reducing vehicular emissions.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

Cleveland's Cuyahoga River caught fire over a dozen times

Between 1868 and 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire at least 13 times due to oil and industrial waste. The 1969 blaze garnered national attention, prompting federal action and contributing to the creation of the EPA, which ultimately led to a successful cleanup of the river.

The booming fossil industry on the Jurassic Coast

Ever since the Jurassic Coast was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001, professional and amateur fossil-finders have increasingly set out for its craggly cliffs to discover ammonites, icthyosaurs, and even new discoveries. This photo essay takes a human look at the growing interest and industry in fossil discoveries along the famed 95-mile strip of England.

How fusion—which releases energy when two lighter atoms combine to form a heavier atom—differs from fission

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' is infamous for having some of the highest industrial pollution, toxic air emissions, and cancer risks in the US.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

Jimmy Carter signed a 1978 bill that legalized home brewing, a move credited with kick-starting the craft beer industry.

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

11 people died from firework injuries in the US in 2024.

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

Experimental hantavirus vaccines and therapies, still under development, have long been funded by the US military.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

Scientists can determine Earth's past climate conditions by analyzing air trapped in microscopic bubbles within ice cores—columns of compressed snow layers that build up over hundreds of thousands of years.

The power and influence of the American presidency have expanded significantly over time—far beyond what the founders envisioned.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II in casualties, forces mobilized, and displacement of civilians.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.

When a Paris department store hesitated to sell Estée Lauder's perfume, she 'accidentally' broke a bottle, causing the smell to spread throughout the store and shoppers to start asking to buy the scent.

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'