Shale Gas Good for America

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Introduction

Shale gas is a natural gas that is found deep in the earth’s crust. This type of natural gas usually forms in shale deposits and can be released with a drilling technique known as fracking. Shale gas has become the most important source of natural gas in the United States. Scientist and researchers have always known of shale gas, but none have had the technologies to reach it till now. In early 2000, shale gas compensated for one percent of the United States supply of natural gas resources, but by 2010, shale gas accounted for over twenty percent of the United States supply of natural gas.

Fossil fuels have many advantages, and are a good way to break the dependency on other countries for their natural resource supplies, but they also take the pressure off of non-renewable energy. Fossil fuels are quite adequate to run vehicles, electricity, and heat. Fossil fuels, like shale gas, are in abundance and not expensive, but with the world’s oil supply declining the price of natural gas is rising. While shale gas can help provide an endless supply of energy for America’s future the way of extracting the gas, fracking, poses a real threat to the environment and wildlife.

Counter Argument

There are those who support fracking as a means of extracting natural gas from shale deposits. They believe that fracking is a good thing and that it can have benefits on the environment. In their article Shale Gas: Fracking Great, The Economist suggest that the risks from fracking can be managed, “the risks from shale gas can be managed. Properly concreted well-shafts do not leak; regurgitants can be collected and made safe; preventing gas venting and flaring would limit methane emissions to acceptable levels” (Economist, 2012). Th...

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...rom other countries. The fact that fracking is so damaging to the environment should make one rethink the process they use. In order to reach gas deposits that far under the surface, one has to drill. The best way to do this would be to develop a type of drill that could be constructed without clearing land and could reach the depths required using green chemicals that are both safe and biodegradable, that way if there were a leak it would not harm the environment.

Works Cited

eferences

Allen, J. (2013) Shale gas: Harmful to the environment. National Geographic

Burnham S., Dodge L. (2012). Shale gas the future of America’s energy. American Journal

of Science and Industry.

The Economist (2012). Shale gas: Fracking great. The Economist Journal

Truong, A. (2012) Pros and cons of shale gas. American Journal of Science and Industry

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