Baton Rouge Shale

An oil-rich shale beneath parts of the Baton Rouge area could soon be tapped on a large scale through hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing or "Fracking" is a technique that involves a high-pressure water-chemical mix to crack the shale so oil and gas can be collected.  The process makes getting to hard-to-reach oil and gas in shale economically feasible. But it also has raised environmental concerns.  The state may hold a public hearing as early as June on whether to approve a drilling production unit in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale near Ethel in East Feliciana Parish.  According to James Welsh, Commissioner of the Louisiana Office of Conservation Devon Energy of Oklahoma City wants to use "fracking" in that area.