One thing is certain in the light of articles such as this one: Scientists: Increase in US Earthquakes Almost Certainly Manmade.
Expect to see billions of dollars spent by the Petroleum industry on ads telling us how safe this is, that the science is “disputed,” or “contradictory,” or “controversial.”
Expect politicians to parrot these lies, while claiming jobs and economic recovery depend upon granting Corporations unlimited rights to exploitation of these “resources.”
Excerpt:
A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) team has found that a sharp jump in earthquakes in America’s heartland appears to be linked to oil and natural gas drilling operations.
As hydraulic fracturing has exploded onto the scene, it has increasingly been connected to earthquakes. Some quakes may be caused by the original fracking — that is, by injecting a fluid mixture into the earth to release natural gas (or oil). More appear to be caused by reinjecting the resulting brine deep underground.
Romm, J. (April 6, 2012). Shale Shocked: ‘Remarkable Increase’ In U.S. Earthquakes ‘Almost Certainly Manmade,’ USGS Scientists Report. Think Progress. Retrieved from http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/06/459711/shale-shocked-increase-midcontinent-earthquakes-almost-certainly-manmade-usgs-report/?mobile=nc