Natural gas has the potential to bridge the gap between the current oil dominated energy mix and sustainable renewables. It’s cheap, abundant, and the cleanest fossil fuel in the world. In fact, at today’s consumption rates, estimated US natural gas resources could be used to supply domestic electricity generation for 52 years. But shale gas is trapped thousands of feet underground. How do we extract it and what does the process look like? There are risks involved with extracting natural gas. The good news is that these are well understood and manageable. The necessary technology to safely drill and frack already exists. With proper regulation and risk management, natural gas drilling and fracking will be a worthwhile step towards a renewable energy future.