Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing - extracting methane (natural gas) by forcing water, sand and chemicals deep into the earth's crust at high pressure - is one of the most environmentally destructive practices of our time and needs urgent attention.
The nonpartisan GAO reports that fracking poses major risks to the environment and public health:
http://www.gao.gov/assets/650/647791.pdf
The carbon footprint of the process exceeds that of coal:
http://cce.cornell.edu/EnergyClimateChange/NaturalGasDev/Documents/PDFs/...
Fracking has met with widespread grassroots opposition across the US, but we need the government's protection at a federal level. We implore the President to enact stricter regulations that can lead to the phasing-out of this practice.