Hydraulic fracturing has long played a critical role in safely delivering reliable supplies of energy to communities, working families, small businesses, manufacturers and others, helping to drive and grow economies.

The cutting-edge, 21^st century energy production technologies – hydraulic fracturing chief among them – were highlighted in an article featured in today’s Globe and Mail. Under the headline “Newest high-tech business? Oil and gas,” reporter Shawn McCarthy wrote this:

New drilling and production technology has dramatically transformed North America’s natural gas industry by unlocking massive shale gas reservoirs. Now, those technological advances are being adopted more broadly in the oil and gas industry to reduce costs in mature or difficult-to-tap fields.

Service companies have, over the past five years, made huge strides in so-called fracturing techniques, which are used to stimulate oil and gas production from the rock in which the hydrocarbons are trapped.

Together with drilling advances, a variety of technologies have allowed producers to tap long-discovered gas reservoirs in shale rock, including the prolific Barnett, Haynesville and Fayetteville fields in the United States, and the Montney and Horn River plays in Canada.

It’s no wonder why so many energy producers are relying so heavily on hydraulic fracturing, which is soundly regulated by states. The 60-year old process has a long and clear track record of safety, efficiency, and effectiveness in delivering reliable energy resources to those who need and rely upon them. It’s also no wonder why so many public officials – governors, state legislators, congressmen and senators alike – oppose burdensome federal regulations that would kill the use of this essential energy production method, as well as the thousands of good-paying jobs associated.