Letter to the Editor: Get it right
BY Joe Newman, Tulsa
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
12/26/12 at 3:33 AM
I am continuously amazed by the media's lack of understanding of the oil and gas industry. I have just read yet another article in the Tulsa (Oil Capital of the World) World about this "new drilling technique called fracking." Fracture stimulation of reservoir rock by pumping sand-laden fluid down a well bore is not a new technique, but has evolved over time along with horizontal drilling into much larger volumes. This procedure has long been known as fracing in the industry, but recent media attention has added a "k" to the word. While annoying, this is understandable.
What I fail to understand is the insistence on calling this completion procedure a new drilling technique. To put this in an analogy that the public might understand more clearly, it is like making a purchase from a store. First you drive to the store, then you pick up your purchase and head to the checkout. You have a choice of paying with cash, check, credit card or maybe this new Google Wallet option. Now you want to write about this Google Wallet option and the inherent risks involved. Why would you continuously refer to it as a new way to get to the store?
This is really not that difficult of a concept to get right.
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