This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Re "Fracking is safe," Forum, June 6:

Erik Milito's confidence in the safety of "hydraulic fracturing" in mining for natural gas and oil is rubbish. First, there are only two groups of people who support fracking: Those who work in the industry and depend on it for their livelihood, and those who profit from the industry directly — lodge and restaurant owners, equipment suppliers, and government entities that profit from the higher tax base, along with a periphery of other local businesses that profit from the workers who follow the drilling companies.

Most of the rest of us are indifferent because of misinformation put out by the oil and gas companies. They live by the adage, "Everything is safe until you prove it 'not' to be." And then there are the small but growing minorities of people who know firsthand the dangers of fracking because they were negatively impacted, some suffering health effects from the unknown chemicals used in the process or from spillage from overflowing holding ponds near their property.

As for Milito, group director for upstream and industry operations at the American Petroleum Institute, any question which group he represents?

Robert Hoff

West Jordan