The reading and the lecture are both about hydraulic fracturing.

While the author of article argues that

fracking is not harmful for environment, the lecturer contradicts this point of view and conveys some of the
hazards, that could be caused by this method of oil mining.

According to the both reading and lecturer, hydraulic fracturing is the process that includes injecting water,
chemicals and sand into shale rocks to break them and release natural gas inside. Lecturer and author of
article claims that fracking is important, because it allows to boost production of domestic energy. The
article mentions that this method known since 1940 th, but the possibility to extract this oil in a cheap and
effective way appears only recently.

The lecturer claims that according to the latest researches this fluid could get into supplies of drinking water
and contaminate them. This argument is challenged by the author. He asserts that the risks are low. The
author goes on to say that the reason is that fracking takes place at many hundreds of meters depth and
properly-designed wells would not allow mixing of fluid and water.

Secondly, the lecturer puts forth the idea that intensive fracking could trigger small earthquakes, something
that has already happened in Ahaya, Australia and United Kingdom. He notes that while there are a lot of
supporters of this method, generally worried about new work places and creating domestic energy supplies,
his critics maintain, that firstly we should study environmental impact to head off making another
dangerous form of energy extraction. In contrast, the article’s stance is that any environmental hazards
could be prevented by careful monitoring of chemicals in air and water.