Concerns over hydraulic fracturing, an
oil and gas extraction method that injects millions of gallons of freshwater and chemicals into
shale, have largely focused on potential impacts on water
quality.
But for potential foreign purchasers of that
oil, the key question is how much extra it will cost to extract the dirty compounds in Alberta bitumen so that its
quality matches export
oil being produced at high - grade, low - cost US
shale formations like the Bakken, Permian, and Eagle Ford.