The distinction you're making is basically immaterial for the general public. The key takeaway for us is that hydrocarbon extraction is polluting groundwater an

The distinction you're making is basically immaterial for the general public. The key takeaway for us is that hydrocarbon extraction is polluting groundwater and contaminating surface land. The exact reason for those negative externalities are important for regulators and industry to understand, but the general public doesn't care if their well water is toxic because the deframbulator was not halogented before exfinescing the sanestration fluid or because the subpermeable supertransverse formation was extereated. All they know and all they need to know is that regulatory mechanisms are missing or failing and our natural resources are being despoiled. That's all they need to know to go to their political representatives and demand that they do something. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism is a perfect topic of discussion for Hacker News.