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‘NATURAL’ GAS- A nonrenewable fossil fuel that forms when buried and decaying organic materials are exposed to intense heat and pressure over time.

FRACKING- Slang for hydraulic fracturing. This is the process of creating fractures in rock formations by injecting specialized fluid into the cracks. This causes subterranean wells to open further and release large quantities of water, petroleum, or gas.

CONVENTIONAL/UNCONVENTIONAL DRILLING- Conventional oil and gas extraction takes place in conventional geologic formations and consists of vertical wells. Most desirable conventional formations have already been tapped. Oil and Gas operators have thus turned to unconventional drilling. Drilling in unconventional formations, such as shales, requires new drilling methods like hydraulic fracturing.

SPLIT ESTATE – the situation when different entities own the rights to the surface and subsurface of land parcels. Splitting surface and mineral rights between two different owners creates two competing legal interests. This reality can generate significant disagreement between landowners and oil and gas developers in Western states.

FRACKING FLUID- Liquid used for fracking. Typically consists of water, sand, and various chemicals. Some common chemicals additives are sodium chloride, ethylene glycol, sodium/potassium carbonate, guar gum, borate salts, and isopropanol.

FLOWBACK FLUID– Liquid that returns to the surface after fracking. It contains, fracking fluid, brine, clay, etc. Also referred to as produced or contaminated water. This water can never return to the hydrological cycle.

PRODUCED WATER- the ancient deep salty water previously trapped underground until it was brought up by oil and gas wells.  This water can be high in metals (barium, manganese, strontium, and iron, etc.) and organic substances like toxic benzene and therefore produced water must be either be carefully discarded or carefully treated for reuse (see Deep Well Injection).

DEEP WELL INJECTION- potentially toxic and contaminated wastewater from fracking and oil/gas extraction is “disposed of” in extremely deep wells.  The injection of water at this depth can re-activate dormant earthquake faults and cause increased activity in the vicinity.  Most of the oil and gas wastewater created in Colorado is injected into one of the nearly 1000 Deep Well Injection sites in the state.

BLOWOUT– An uncontrolled release of oil, gas, or other hydrocarbons from a well.

VOCs– Volatile organic compounds are gaseous at normal or indoor/outdoor temperatures. They are released by the burning of fuels such as wood, coal, and gas. Leaky/faulty O&G infrastructure also emits these toxic compounds.

BETX COMPOUNDS– BTEX is the acronym for the four volatile organic compounds often associated with oil and natural gas production: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene.

PERMEABILITY-  reflects the relative ease with which fluids or gases may travel or flow between the pore spaces in a rock.