Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as 'fracking' is the process of extracting natural gas and oil situated several miles deep beneath the Earth's surface. Over the past decade, fracking has increased the output of these two vital energy sources by 40 percent and 95 percent, respectively, and the fracking industry now supports nearly three million US jobs. Thanks to fracking, energy prices have dropped by leaps and bounds, saving billions of dollars for consumers who use natural gas or oil to heat and fuel their homes, businesses, cars, and boats, spurring massive economic growth. 1