FuelFix

The hydraulic fracturing boom may have changed the outlook for U.S. energy and even raised the possibility of energy independence,  but it’s also a reminder that waste tends to go hand in hand with abundance. NASA recently released photos such as the one above showing natural gas flares in North Dakota’s Bakken Shale burning almost as brightly as the city lights of Minneapolis.

Oil companies in the region are burning off enough gas to power all the homes in Chicago and Washington combined, according to the Financial Times. Flared gas in North Dakota rose by 50 percent last year and permits for flaring in Texas last year were more than six times the number...