Fracking Pros And Cons

It’s been over 65 years since fracking first began as a method of extraction by oil and gas companies, but the government has done little to regulate the catastrophic practice. How anyone could consider injecting tens of thousands of gallons of water and chemicals deep into the ground being a good idea is beyond me. Those chemicals include chlorine, acetone, benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, and almost 600 other chemicals that fracking operations won’t even reveal to the public. These chemicals, despite denial by all major natural gas and oil companies that practice fracking, almost always end up in groundwater supplies. I’m sure you’ve seen at least one video online of someone who lives near a fracking site lighting the water coming out of their faucet on fire. Thanks to a ruling in 2005 under the Bush administration, fracking operations are exempt from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean

Fracking is a process that involves combining water with various toxic chemicals to create frack fluid. This chemical is highly toxic and can return to the surface, polluting water and destroying ecosystems and communities. This article includes various facts and statistics of fracking’s effect on the environment. The evidence of its harmful effects is laid out in an easy to read and cite format. “Fracking’s Environmental Impacts: Water” will provide supporting

McGraw describes several of the numerous incidents of air and water pollution that occurred directly from the fracking. Methane, a colorless and odorless greenhouse gas that is known to trap radiation, leaked several times in Susquehanna. Not only were water supplies contaminated by chemicals, but fracking can often lead to droughts as the oil companies draw water for the hydraulic fracturing. Some people have found so much gas in their water that it could be set on fire. Methane can have harmful long-term effects from

fracking as, “Good News for America’s Economy”, however some claim this method is dangerous, environmentally destructive, and unreliable. Fracking exists in 32 states, and the industry is still growing. This method can retrieve gallons of shale gas quickly, unfortunately, it can cause water contamination. Supporters view fracking as an productive way to retrieve natural gases, while opponents view it as a danger, due to of possible health implications. Fracking is a well controlled way to extract natural gases and fossil fuels however ,there are concerns.

Toxic chemicals used in fracking need to be disclosed to allow for better monitoring and regulations. Drilling operations use chemicals in their water to allow for better flow and to obtain natural gas. These chemicals can be carcinogenic and need to be disclosed to the public so people know what is being used and injected into the ground (“Serious Risks of Fracking”). The chemicals used in fracking are toxic and need to be disposed of safely. Regulations on waste disposal also need to be updated to keep up with the gas and oil industry (“Fracking”). Toxic chemicals used in fracking can also leak and pollute the air which can cause difficulty breathing and severe headaches. The methane that is also extracted can leak and

Fracking is proven to cause environmental contamination.Numerous reports have suggested that fracking techniques have caused water contamination. Methane gas, uranium, mercury ,and toxic chemicals such as lead leak out of the hydraulic fracturing system. And contaminates nearby groundwater. This water is used in the nearby cities and towns. Recent studies have shown, that 1,000 documented cases of water contamination were close to fracking sites. Although, the techniques that fracking uses are

Hydraulic fracking has been known to release ‘more than 650 chemicals”( source 3), because of this people who are living ‘near these wells fear their health may be harmed” ( source 3). Even though hydraulic fracking has not caused any known health problems there is still the threat that could come soon when more and more well build up. This could also harm the wildlife and could cause their habitat to be destroyed.

Hydraulic Fracking is the act of shooting or drilling chemicals and liquids into the ground at a high speed in order to break the rocks and earth below. When you break the rocks, or fracture them, it releases the natural gas that is trapped inside. Fracking is a controversial topic, with benefits seen by some and devastating results seen by others. The state of Texas allows fracking, and it is a technique used all over the state. The Obama administration and the federal government believe that fracking can lead the country away from dependence on fossil fuels and into a new generation of clean energy. However, environmental agencies believe that fracking is just another energy source that is no better for the environment than coal, and leads to contaminated water. Fracking companies do not have to follow the Safe Water Drinking Act of 1974, whose purpose is to protect groundwater for the people.

Fracking does have economic gains, but, it also has environmental down sides. Fracking provides hundreds of jobs for Americans and increases revenue for the economy. In North Dakota the unemployment rate was down to 2.6 in 2013. That’s all good but at what cost to the environment that these new workers live in. when the fracking process is at the actual stage of creating cracks toxic chemicals including methane leach into nearby groundwater and soil. 50%-60% of the toxic fracking fluid is left in the ground; this poisonous fluid that is left is not biodegradable. Then the waste leftovers are “left in open air pits to evaporate, and release harmful VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) into the atmosphere, creating contaminated air, acid rain, and ground level ozone.” ( bib 5) (bib 4,

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, does many things to improve people’s lives as well as the economy. If fracking were to be banned nationwide, hundreds of thousands of people would be out of work. That is hundreds of thousands of families that would financially struggle because liberals simply do not understand basic fracking techniques. Putting a ban on fracking would also be hurtful to the economy in many ways. Obviously, people out of work hurts the economy. Being energy independent would be very beneficial towards the economy but this goal can never achieved without natural gas.

Fracking has become a highly controversial and publicized topic in recent years due to rising concerns into the potential benefits and consequences of using hydraulic fracturing to retrieve natural gas and oil reserves. With concerns over water pollution, mismanagement of toxic waste and irreversible environmental damage mounting, the practice of fracking has

Noise pollution is another negative effect by fracking. Many people don’t enjoy the sound of the machines used for fracking; in fact, they don’t enjoy the workers doing it near their areas. Many residents of areas are concerned about the effects that the heavy vehicles and loud machines have on their daily lives. All of these heavy vehicles have turned a lot of residential areas into work zones, and many are against that. Fracking takes place both day and night, therefore this cause anxiety and stress for many who are affected by both the light and the

The most dangerous consequence of fracking is that hundreds of chemicals are blasted into the Earth’s crust, which creates cracks in the bedrock. Many times, these cracks lead to an aquifer, in which case, all of the water in the aquifer becomes contaminated with these chemicals (Jackson, 2014). Additionally, when the natural gas is being pumped out of the wells, methane is released into the atmosphere. A study conducted by NOAA found that approximately 4% of the methane is being released into the atmosphere. This same study found that methane pollution increases climate changes because it traps heat in the atmosphere 25 times more than carbon dioxide (Hoffman, 2016). Furthermore, fracking waste wells are the primary cause of the increase of earthquakes in the Central U.S. This is because these wells operate for a longer period of time, which means that they inject more “solid ‘cake’” into the Earth than the actual fracking process (USGS, n.d. and StateImpact, 2017). Finally, recent studies have found that people who live near a fracking site are at higher risk to develop respiratory problems, which is due to the increased levels of pollutants. These pollutants are not only affecting the people who live in close proximity to these sites, but to the workers, as well. The most common type of respiratory problem reported was lung

Fracking refers to the process of drilling into the earth, which is commonly referred to as hydraulic fracturing. This injection of water, sand, and chemicals especially in shale deposits releases oil or gas that has been trapped for many years that was initiated many years ago for the purpose of oil and gas extraction from the earth (Anderson and Bosselmann, 2013). The process can be carried out both vertically or horizontally such that it creates new pathways or extend already existing ones. The process causes a lot of controversy and at the same time, it acts as a potential key that will someday in the future unlock greater sources of energy (Bamberger and Oswald, 2014). This research therefore seeks to look at the positive aspects of the

Introduction