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On the June episode of Reveal, we talk to Marketplace’s Scott Tong about George Mitchell, a man many consider the father of fracking.

Mitchell changed the landscape of energy production in the U.S. by pioneering modern-day techniques for extracting gas from shale rock. These innovations have helped America become one of the world’s leading oil and natural gas producers – and fracking (or hydraulic fracturing) is the reason behind all the cheap gas we’ve been experiencing at the pump lately.

But wait one fracking minute – what exactly is fracking anyway? Check out this short animated explainer from Marketplace for a quick download:

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Julia B. Chan can be reached at jchan@revealnews.org. Follow her on Twitter: @juliachanb.

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Julia B. Chan worked at The Center for Investigative Reporting until June, 2017. Julia B. Chan is a producer and the digital editor for Reveal's national public radio program. She’s the voice of Reveal online and manages the production and curation of digital story assets that are sent to more than 200 stations across the country. Previously, Chan helped The Center for Investigative Reporting launch YouTube’s first investigative news channel, The I Files, and led engagement strategies – online and off – for multimedia projects. She oversaw communications, worked to better connect CIR’s work with a bigger audience and developed creative content and collaborations to garner conversation and impact.

Before joining CIR, Chan worked as a Web editor and reporter at the San Francisco Examiner. She managed the newspaper’s digital strategy and orchestrated its first foray into social media and online engagement. A rare San Francisco native, she studied broadcasting at San Francisco State University, focusing on audio production and recording. Chan is based in Reveal's Emeryville, California, office.