The controversy surrounding the extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing (or "fracking") continues to incite fierce debate and some rather odd behavior, including Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper's confession to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that he drank fracking fluid produced by Halliburton.

Dubbed by some as our "road to energy independence," fracking has been a major job creator in several states in the western U.S. (including North Dakota) these past few years. Though the practice has existed for over 60 years, the frenetic media attention in recent memory can partly be attributed to this westward expansion. Its allure is understandable, its promise somewhat mind-boggling; the U.S. has an estimated 482 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of technically recoverable shale gas, according to current figures released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Some of the major shale plays that carry the potential for natural gas extraction through fracking are located in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and New York.

In New York, disturbing claims about fracking have peppered media coverage for years. Last week, a mid-level appeals court ruled that New York municipalities can use local zoning laws to ban the practice of fracking to drill for natural gas. The same week, California followed in the footsteps of New York State lawmakers when it endorsed a moratorium on fracking.