sir - The Economist asserts that using hydraulic fracturing to stimulate oil and gas wells can "damage the water table, disrupt communities and even cause earthquakes" ("Fracking heaven", June 25th). Hydraulic fracturing has been safely used more than 1.1m times in the United States since the 1940s. Numerous government officials and independent experts have concluded that the procedure does not contaminate drinking water. This is not only because of tight industry standards but also because the process takes place thousands of feet below the water table, with a mile or more of impenetrable rock separating the injection site from freshwater supplies.
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