The hydrofracking boom has dramatically changed the U.S. energy landscape while also sparking a public outcry. Opponents of fracking insist it pollutes water and air, killing farm animals and causing an array of health issues in people, including cancer. A major study showed people living near natural gas wells were more than twice as likely to report upper-respiratory and skin problems than those farther away. Indeed, health and environmental commissioners recently rejected the prospect for "high-volume hydraulic fracturing" in New York, saying that health risks, the potential of local bans and limited available land would outweigh the benefits of fracking.
