Jack is spot on about the impracticability of solar and wind power. I have a sbaaloit and we obviously love clean water and air. At first glance it looks like a great idea to have a wind turbine or a solar panel to power the batteries. Unfortunately they are just not cost effective. It is roughly twice as expensive to generate electricity for the grid via solar power contrasted with traditional electricity plants. Natural Gas is very clean and cost effective. It has the additional benefit of creating a lot of jobs. Solar power is not very clean when you look at the total picture. This is obvious when you see what it takes to produce solar panels, install then, and then see how little electricity they generate.I too was pretty concerned about the pollution however it seems that the issues were early ones that have been mostly solved. The issue is the drilling and securing of the well. If the well isn't properly done then some pollution can escape from the well casing. This is however not a problem unique to fracking wells. All wells, even water wells, must have proper casings or there is the possibility of cross contamination. Once the fracking is done the area that held the gas is well below the water table so there is no contamination from that. Lisa Jackson of the EPA, an enemy of fossil fuels, recently told Congress that there have been NO proven cases where the fracking process itself has affected water. There was a study by Duke University and even though it had a bit of a negative spin, it noted that in Pennsylvania there are over 20,000 water wells drilled every year and regardless of drilling operations nearby, there was no contamination from fracking fluids found in any of them.Contamination is a valid concern but it seems that the impact is extremely small. Proper oversight is important but we can look to artic drilling as an example. They companies have taken extraordinary efforts to negate their impact and keep their footprint small. The record is good with very little impact. Sure, we can use the false analogy of the Exxon Valdez but that was one blemish and it had nothing to do with drilling. It was a drinking on board a ship issue. Natural Gas doesn't pollute if leaked and the fracking process itself is so far looking very safe.

I have spent quite a bit of time researching the chemicals used in fracking and it seems like the only way to get any data in bulk form on fracking chemicals disclosures is from http://pivotupstreamgroup.com/D-FRAC.aspx (D-FRAC). I tried the Frac Focus site but it will only let you have info one well at a time... and there are just too many well frackings for this. Some of the chemicals used seem benign, like guar gum, but others are known to be very toxic to the environment.