Fracking vs the alternatives

This Op-Ed New York Times piece mitigates against the outcry over fracking and makes the point that fracking occurs at 5 times the depth of any surface water, and the natural gas it yields causes much less carbon loading of the atmosphere than coal (the alternative fuel source grown in America). The author admits that the chemicals used are not regulated or monitored. I worry that the hydrocarbons (diesel, benzene) used to extract the sticky mess are by necessity more volatile than either coal or crude oil and more likely to contaminate overlying water sources no matter how much more superficial they are.

http://nyti.ms/Zzp8u8