Hydraulic fracturing was developed in the 1940s to stimulate the production of oil from reservoirs that had experienced a decline in productivity. The use of fracking expanded tremendously in the 1980s and 1990s, as it was able to applied to coalbed methane development (CBM).

CBM began in the 1970s as a safety precaution in coal mines, which helped to reduce the explosion hazard that is posed by methane. Fewer than 100 Coalbed wells existed in the United States. The demand for natural gas, as well as new technologies for fracturing, increased dramatically and there was dramatic growth in the CBM development industry.

By 1990, 8,000 wells had been drilled. This number increased to 56,000 wells that had been recognized by the EPA in 2008. The number of wells in the United States increased from 260,000 wells in 1989 to 493,100 wells in 2009.

Even though the Safe Drinking Water Act was revised in 1974 to include groundwater protection, hydraulic fracturing was not regulated under the act by the EPA until the late 1990s. In August of 2002, the EPA issued a draft report which identified problems with water quantity and quality associated with hydraulic fracturing of coal beds in Alabama, New Mexico, Colorado, and a few other states. In 2004, the EPA issued a final,accepted version of the 2002 draft which concluded that fracking fluids posed little threat to groundwater sources.

Fracking came to Tioga County, Pennsylvania in 2008. Starting with 15 wells, the numbers quickly grew to 123 a year later, and 276 the next year. However, after the peak in 2010, the number of new wells began to drop dramatically. In 2016, only 17 new wells had been drilled. As of 2015, there are 1.7 million active hydraulic fracturing wells in the United States.

Below, we have a timeline of significant events throughout the history of fracking.

Literature Cited

Legere, L. (2016, November 27). After Marcellus Shale boom, picturesque Tioga County resumes quieter life. Retrieved October 3, 2017.

Schultz, A. (2012). Hydraulic Fracturing and Natural Gas Drilling. Nova Science Publishers.