Why Should I Care?

To date, there is no fracking in Idaho, but there is an unconventional shale resource in southeast Idaho that has potential for development by natural gas companies such as Alta Mesa.

Because there is a chance that hydraulic fracturing technology could be introduced to Idaho in the future, it is critical that residents of Idaho become informed about the risks and benefits of unconventional natural gas and oil development especially those involving wastewater disposal and induced seismicity.

Idaho is a very geologically active area, ranked among the top 10 earthquake states according to John Anderson and Yuichiro Miyata at the University of Nevada, Reno. In an April 2014 article by Scientific American, it was stated that “Hundreds of low-level and medium-sized earthquakes have struck central Idaho since last month, puzzling geologists who wonder whether the ruptures portend a much larger temblor to come or are merely the rumblings of a seismic fault previously thought to be dormant.”

The introduction of hydraulic fracturing technology and the potential for induced earthquakes as a result of this may have huge impacts on the seismic landscape in Idaho.

See this link for more information on what makes Idaho so geologically active:

Graveyard of Old Volcanoes