The Washington Post published an article today stating that, while support for the Keystone pipeline is up (which is a good thing), support for hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) is down. The Post cites a Pew Research study claiming American’s favored the drilling method 43-38 percent. However, as of today, Americans oppose fracking 47-41 percent. Not surprisingly, the Leftists at ThinkProgress (yeah, right) have jumped all over this.

However, Scientific American published an op-ed today by Director of Energy Poll at the University of Texas at Austin Sheril Kirshenbaum responding to the Pew study. She examined the same survey’s results on fracking and states what the Post says may not be so. In her essay, Kirshenbaum points out:

According to the latest wave of the UT Energy Poll among 2,105 Americans, only 44% are familiar with these terms, while 47% are not familiar or have never heard of them. (The additional 9% say they are neither familiar nor unfamiliar).

Among the 44% of Americans familiar with fracking, (928/2,105) we found 44% support its use in the extraction of fossil fuels and 41% oppose it. This is UP from one year ago when 38% of those familiar with fracking supported its use.