How fracking has divided the US

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A decision over whether to allow fracking in Lancashire is expected to be made later. But how do they view the controversial process in the United States?

While in the United Kingdom we have spent years debating the rights and wrongs of hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, over in the US they have being cracking on with it for quite some time.

Four years ago, when I first visited Towanda, a small town in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with a population of about 3,000, I found a real love-hate relationship with fracking.

Shale gas drilling was at its peak, with more than 2,000 wells drilled in the area. Seven new hotels were being built and businessmen told how the industry had insulated the region from the recession sparked by the financial crash.

"It was," said one hotel manager, "like Christmas every day."

Others, though, complained the nature of their town had changed. There was bad traffic, noise, and dust. Their lovely rural area had become industrialised, they said.

Fast forward four years and Towanda is a very different place from how it was in 2011.

While we're not quite talking boom to bust, the drilling industry juggernaut has certainly moved on.

Lancashire be warned - fracking is an industry that moves in cycles.

During my latest visit there were only three active drill rigs in the whole of Bradford County. At the shale gas peak one energy company alone had 30 active rigs here.

The price of oil and gas has fallen and, for now, there's more profit to be made elsewhere.

So they have moved on - and that has caused problems for some. The Riverstone Two hotel was built to accommodate shale gas workers.

That new hotel is currently closed - the manager is thinking about turning it into a retirement home. Other hotels are said to be struggling to fill rooms.

The speed at which the shale gas surge has moved away has surprised many. It is much quieter in Towanda again.

Firms supplying services to the industry have laid people off. Trade is down in shops and restaurants.

But it is still very different from before the shale gas boom. There is still lots of gas in the ground and many expect the rigs to return when pipeline infrastructure improves and the gas can be moved and exported. Pipelines are being laid in preparation for that.

Furthermore, on the outskirts of the town, a huge construction is taking place - the 829 Mega Watt Panda Power plant.

It will use gas freed by fracking to generate electricity - enough to power nearly a million homes.

It has created more than 1,000 jobs in the construction sector alone. Again, though, these jobs are temporary - when finished, the plant will only employ 27 people.

The plant certainly stands out - as do new gas liquefaction sites, which are being built so that shale gas can be transported and exported.

But this is an area, like Lancashire's Fylde Coast, which also relies on tourism and agriculture.

Organic farmer Charlie Gerlach tends 51 acres in Bradford County's Endless Mountains. Well pads now surround his property, which he set up as a tourist attraction.

He says the two industries, shale gas and tourism, are simply not compatible.

Who would want to holiday in an industrial park? He worries that resources are being put into a temporary energy form - and that is blighting other commercial interests which are more sustainable in the long term.

Television channels here are full of adverts for the gas industry, pushing the message about creating jobs and energy security.

Even the man who guides Bradford County's economic development accepts the current drilling slump is problematic.

But Tony Ventello, from the Bradford County Progress Authority, says peaks and troughs can be levelled out by adding value to the gas before it leaves the area.

He says that is where power generation, compressed natural gas stations and industrial innovation come in.

Mr Ventello believes the years of disruption have been worth it. That the area is, overall, better off.

But opponents to shale gas extraction say it is not all about economics. Ralph Kisberg, from the campaign group the Responsible Drilling Alliance, says it is about health, the environment and sustainability.

He believes it has been detrimental to the quality of life.

"You are betraying your own area's best interests by letting this in - no question," he says.

Four years on and one thing is certain - fracking continues to split communities.