Blasting fluid deep underground to fracture bedrock has enabled access to previously unreachable troves of oil and natural gas. The technique, known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking, is often done in L-shaped wells—drilled down vertically and then horizontally—to maximize output .
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The story of American oil and foreign policy must be told in tandem. The domestic fracking boom, for example, was driven by a desire to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign adversaries for energy. This timeline, spanning 1850 to 2023, chronicles the events that led up to this moment (it started around 2006) and how successful fracking has been helping the U.S insulate itself from volatility abroad.
The US has exported more energy than it consumes since 2019, making it a net energy exporter. This feat was possible largely due to the 2000s fracking boom. Energy imports have decreased every year since 2007 as the US began relying more heavily on this domestic oil and natural gas supply. Check out the graphs on this webpage to visualize how imports and exports have changed over time.
After seeing how artillery created fissures in narrow water channels, a Civil War veteran wondered if the process could be replicated in underground wells to unleash more oil. He got to work, patenting an “exploding torpedo.” Others built on his technology during the 20th century to develop modern-day fracking. Read how the drilling technique evolved to vastly increase US energy production in the 21st century.
Fracturing fluid recipes are largely proprietary, but FracFocus has maintained a database of chemical disclosures since 2011. Today, the Department of Energy-affiliated nonprofit has nearly 230,000 disclosures. Curious where the wells are in your area, what chemicals operators are using, and if they could harm your drinking water? Choose a link to search by state, county, and city.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has fueled US energy production since 1949, creating jobs and lowering energy costs. However, it raises environmental concerns, including high water usage, methane leaks, and CO2 emissions from extracted fuels, prompting debates over its long-term impact.
US oil and natural gas production skyrocketed over the last two decades due to advances in fracking, but this has not led to more profits for the nation’s fossil fuel companies. Federal Reserve experts attribute this to weak global energy prices. They predict production will slow in the 2020s unless prices rise significantly.
Scientists have linked a spike in seismic activity across the central and eastern US to deep underground wells holding fracking wastewater. These disposal wells were 1.5 times more likely to be associated with earthquakes than oil recovery wells. The link between fluid injection and earthquakes was strongest at disposal wells where fluid was injected quickly, suggesting that injecting fluid more slowly could reduce earthquakes.
According to a Stockholm Environment Institute study, the US government facilitated the fracking boom by pumping tens of billions of dollars into oil and natural gas projects over the last two decades. These subsidies have helped make new projects viable and kept fossil fuel companies afloat when global energy prices fall. The authors argue that similar investments should be used to promote cleaner energy going forward.
Approximately 44% of Americans support fracking, making it less popular than carbon-free forms of energy production like 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. Older Americans are also more likely to support fracking than younger Americans.
While the US has led the development and deployment of fracking, the technique can be used to recover oil and gas around the world. It’s estimated that 10% of the world’s crude oil and 32% of its natural gas can be reached via fracking. Most of that oil is in the US, Russia, China, Argentina, and Libya and most of the natural gas is in the US, China, Argentina, Algeria, Canada, and Mexico.
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