Wichita ? Gov. Sam Brownback made a pit stop in Oklahoma City to talk fracking en route to Texas for the Cotton Bowl.

The Wichita Eagle reported that the stop gave Brownback a chance to meet with the leaders of two energy companies, SandRidge and Chesapeake.

The subject of their meeting was a drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in which water, sand and chemicals are blasted deep underground to extract natural gas from shale rock. The use of fracking has led to dramatic gains in U.S. natural gas production over the past few years, but environmentalists question its safety.

The Eagle says Brownback is looking to smooth the way for energy companies to do more of it in Kansas.