19
The O&G industry objects to this misuse of the term, pointing out that if someone thinks a bulldozer clearing off a drill pad is “fracking,” then they don’t know
enough about the O&G business to have (in their words) an “adult conversation”
about shale gas development. Many people suspect that at least some of the protestors know that they are improperly using the word, but continue to do so deliberately
in a juvenile manner to irritate the O&G industry. However, not everyone is aware
of the origin of the term, and the misunderstanding of “frack” contributes to the
problem of shale gas proponents and opponents talking past one another. It further
deepens the already significant failure to communicate that exists between the
two sides.
In response, industry has changed the spelling of the term to “frac” (i.e. dropping
the “k”). The reasoning was childish and the usage awkward, with bent or broken
words like frac’ed or frac’ing being used to change tense or as modifiers. O&G
opponents, on the other hand, have further embraced the use of “frack” to describe
essentially the entire shale gas industry, and speak darkly about the transmission of
fracked gas throughout the United States. How they are able to distinguish fracked
gas from non-fracked gas, when both have the exact same chemistry and identical
Btu values to meet pipeline specs remains a mystery.
If all of this seems silly and trivial, it is. Both frack and frac are made-up slang
words. Using either one is equally valid, since neither word is in the dictionary and
therefore not required to follow any particular rules. As trivial as it may seem, however, the spelling of this term can have significant consequences. A person is often
immediately assigned to one camp or the other depending on whether or not they
employ the “k.” If you talk about “fracks,” the O&G industry assumes you are a
protestor who is viscerally and fanatically opposed to energy development. On the
other hand, if you want to discuss “fracs,” the environmental crowd will tag you
immediately as a pro-industry shill.
Even the technical literature makes a distinction. Technical publications that
serve the O&G industry like those from the American Association of Petroleum
Geologists (AAPG) and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) consistently use
the spelling “frac” when they allow the term. Environmental and ecological publications typically spell it “frack.” Some people have sought to avoid the controversy
altogether by laboriously spelling out “hydraulic fracturing” every time and not
using either version of the slang.
For the purposes of this book, English words that sound like “frack” are generally spelled with the k. Frack is much closer grammatically to spellings like back,
slack, and crack. “Frac” without the k is similar to some French words like “cul-desac,” and “lac,” but in general, ending an “ack” word in English with a “c” just
doesn’t work. Therefore, since this is a made-up term anyway, and I don’t intend to
write out “hydraulic fracturing” every time, the usage of frack in this manuscript
will include spelling with the k. Make no mistake, however – the definition of the
term is in line with the O&G industry in that it refers only to the reservoir stimulation process, not the entire shale gas development process. Calling anything other
than hydraulic fracturing a frack is a misuse of the term, and more importantly, it
makes no sense.
2.1 The Frack vs. Frac Controversy
The O&G industry objects to this misuse of the term, pointing out that if someone thinks a bulldozer clearing off a drill pad is “fracking,” then they don’t know
enough about the O&G business to have (in their words) an “adult conversation”
about shale gas development. Many people suspect that at least some of the protestors know that they are improperly using the word, but continue to do so deliberately
in a juvenile manner to irritate the O&G industry. However, not everyone is aware
of the origin of the term, and the misunderstanding of “frack” contributes to the
problem of shale gas proponents and opponents talking past one another. It further
deepens the already significant failure to communicate that exists between the
two sides.
In response, industry has changed the spelling of the term to “frac” (i.e. dropping
the “k”). The reasoning was childish and the usage awkward, with bent or broken
words like frac’ed or frac’ing being used to change tense or as modifiers. O&G
opponents, on the other hand, have further embraced the use of “frack” to describe
essentially the entire shale gas industry, and speak darkly about the transmission of
fracked gas throughout the United States. How they are able to distinguish fracked
gas from non-fracked gas, when both have the exact same chemistry and identical
Btu values to meet pipeline specs remains a mystery.
If all of this seems silly and trivial, it is. Both frack and frac are made-up slang
words. Using either one is equally valid, since neither word is in the dictionary and
therefore not required to follow any particular rules. As trivial as it may seem, however, the spelling of this term can have significant consequences. A person is often
immediately assigned to one camp or the other depending on whether or not they
employ the “k.” If you talk about “fracks,” the O&G industry assumes you are a
protestor who is viscerally and fanatically opposed to energy development. On the
other hand, if you want to discuss “fracs,” the environmental crowd will tag you
immediately as a pro-industry shill.
Even the technical literature makes a distinction. Technical publications that
serve the O&G industry like those from the American Association of Petroleum
Geologists (AAPG) and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) consistently use
the spelling “frac” when they allow the term. Environmental and ecological publications typically spell it “frack.” Some people have sought to avoid the controversy
altogether by laboriously spelling out “hydraulic fracturing” every time and not
using either version of the slang.
For the purposes of this book, English words that sound like “frack” are generally spelled with the k. Frack is much closer grammatically to spellings like back,
slack, and crack. “Frac” without the k is similar to some French words like “cul-desac,” and “lac,” but in general, ending an “ack” word in English with a “c” just
doesn’t work. Therefore, since this is a made-up term anyway, and I don’t intend to
write out “hydraulic fracturing” every time, the usage of frack in this manuscript
will include spelling with the k. Make no mistake, however – the definition of the
term is in line with the O&G industry in that it refers only to the reservoir stimulation process, not the entire shale gas development process. Calling anything other
than hydraulic fracturing a frack is a misuse of the term, and more importantly, it
makes no sense.
2.1 The Frack vs. Frac Controversy