Hydraulic fracturing--or fracking as its commonly known--involves drilling for natural gas by injecting a mixture or water, sand, and chemicals into the ground.
It's a controversial practice, both here in Michigan and across the country.
The industry and supporters say fracking is a job creator and a move toward energy independence.
But many environmentalists say it puts human health and local ecosystems at risk.
Since 2012, a team of researchers at the University of Michigan's Graham Sustainability Institute have been looking into fracking in Michigan.
On Friday, they released a report looking at options for regulating the burgeoning industry.
To learn more about the report, Current State talks to John Callewaert [CAL-uh-wurt], director of the Integrated Assessment Center at the Institute, who explains that while fracking has started getting a lot of attention in the past few years, it's actually been around in Michigan since the 1990s.
