Fracking in N.Y. proposes use of propane

In upstate New York, a landowners group may pair up with a Canadian company, GasFrac, that uses liquid propane instead of water-based fracking fluid to get natural gas flowing into wells, Wheeling News-Register reports.

This alternative technology cancels the need for water by using a thick gel made from propane to carry sand and other particles to hold open cracks instead. The company claims to have performed over 1,000 frack jobs in 400 wells from Canada to south Texas.

Supporters of this technology are excited to prove that safe natural gas production is possible, while critics claim this process won’t eliminate methane gas releases.