Fracking is one of those issues that gets people really riled up, and almost always, the most prominent and vocal detractors have no idea what they’re talking about. Those who study the issue and follow the science tend to support fracking. Recently, we have been given another reason to do so: the very water which fracktivists claim is harmed by fracking.

According to a new study by the University of Texas, fracking saves water and prevents droughts. Fracking may use significant amounts of water, but this is offset by the shift from coal to natural gas- perhaps by 25 to 50 times. According to the Washington Examiner, “for every gallon of water used by fracking, Texas saved 33 gallons by using that water to produce electricity from natural gas instead of coal.”

That’s not the only benefit. Fracking also helps with drought relief. “Natural gas,” says the University of Texas “also enhances drought resilience by providing so-called peaking plants to complement increasing wind generation, which doesn’t consume water.”

“The bottom line is that hydraulic fracturing, by boosting natural gas production and moving the state from water-intensive coal technologies, makes our electric power system more drought resilient,” says Bridget Scanlon, senior research scientist at the university’s Bureau of Economic Geology, who led the study.

Fracking has been safely utilized since 1947, and is used in nearly 90% of oil and natural gas wells. It is incredibly beneficial to our struggling economy and, despite what some might have you believe, not dangerous to the environment. This study is just one more nail in the coffin of anti-fracking hysteria.