ABSTRACT
The fracking dispute, in many ways an ordinary technical controversy, is otherwise an outstanding instance of technology assessment. The fracking issue has the usual hallmarks of a technical controversy: disputes between experts, more or less balanced coverage presenting views of industry spokespeople as well as opponents, slick advertising campaigns, lawn signs, accounts of citizens or animals sickened after exposure to contamination, assurances from industry that the technology is safe, and ideological alignments. Compared to some long-germinating technical controversies like those over fluoridation or nuclear power, the fracking controversy is among those reaching high visibility quickly, one indicator being its sudden incorporation into the Matt Damon film. Fracking companies moved into Pennsylvania in about 2005, anticipating expansion into New York State, to exploit the Marcellus Shale, a prime deposit for natural gas extraction. Media coverage was enormous and sustained. A common feature of technical controversies is that substantive claims change, even as partisan alignments persist.
