What Al's geologist friend said

1) Will it happen?

Yes. A huge source of wealth - no government with voters to bribe and books to balance could resist that wodge.

2) Will it do huge environmental damage?

Not half! Bound to. In a way though, nothing we haven't seen in mining areas before, subsidence of roads an buildings. if some bright spark came up with coal mining tomorrow - blasting underground canyons = it would cause concern. We get explosions already through gas coming up through shale.

3) Had he seen Gasland, and did he think we would be getting polluted water supplies. gas coming out of the water taps?

Yes he's seen it. Doesn't think it would effect water supply in England, which is mainly got from chalk and limestone areas - not shale areas where the fracking is going on.

Just a brief conversation. there are boumd to be flaws in his reasoning, but anyway - I thought I'd report back.