the point about using less water also refers to the fact that in some shale gas development areas water isn't an easy thing to come by, e.g. http://theseventhfold.com/2010/09/13/add-saudi-arabia-to-the-growing-list-of-shale-gas-players/ http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f62babbc-bf5c-11df-965a-00144feab49a.html#axzz1QWJyZCew there are some interesting politics behind the above