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Essay On Fracking

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There are still doubts about whether hydraulic fracturing will follow the forecasts put out by the United States energy Information Administration. Hughes write that producing 45 percent of the nations gas through fracking is basically impossible (31). He thinks that “drilling rates assumed by the EIA to meet its forecast are inadequate” (Hughes 31). Hughes supports that the current drilling rates of about 20,000 new wells per year are woefully short of what is needed to increase gas output (31). This shortage is because the production rates of the average well produced through hydraulic fracturing decline “between 63% and 85%” (Hughes 24) in their first year. This extreme decline means that nearly constant drilling must take place in …show more content…

Hughes states that “hydraulic fracturing seems to be the largest source of induced seismic activity” (Hughes 26). Seismicity concerns have been allayed by the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering, who write that there “is an emerging consensus that the magnitude of seismicity… would be… negligible” (Royal Society 4). This scientific consensus suggests that Hughes’ arguments against shale gas are inaccurate. He fails to provide substantial evidence in support of his opinion that shale gas will not be an economic boon moving forward. Shal gas will be an economic boon in the near future, considering that the number of jobs it directly affects. The Barnett Shale in Texas alone provides over 80,000 jobs to the area and “accounts for $8.2 billion in annual output” (“Economic”). These figures are especially impressive because of the Barnett region is already an urban area home to a wide range of economic activities (“Economic”). The Marcellus Shale in the NE also stands to benefit largely, mostly in light of the fact that the economy of the region is far less developed than the Barnett region (“Economic”). Hydraulic fracturing creates jobs in “exploration, drilling, and operations” (“Economic”) as well as in new construction and pipeline infrastructure. These are mostly jobs that

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