Frack Off

Until we morph into 10-foot tall, blue-skinned creatures that can plug into the earth, we'll have to depend on some sort of outside energy source. Hydraulic fracturing, a.k.a. "fracking," is currently the hottest craze in the energy world because it is said to provide that energy cheaply and domestically. It's also the most dangerous idea we've heard in years.

Fracking involves injecting a three-part combo of water, sand, and chemicals 10,000 feet into buried rock layers, at a very high pressure. The force causes the rock to crack, releasing natural gas up through a well, where it is collected. It's like blowing really hard into the bottom of a milkshake and having the bubbly mix rise up the straw. Although it has its benefits, it's also a costly double-edged sword. More worrisome is that energy companies might be intentionally hiding these 14 truths about fracking from you...