Hydraulic Fracturing: Economic Powerhouse or Environmental Disaster? In erstwhile decades, the economic practice of oil production has perennially been subjugated to the Middle East. However, the rise of domestic production of crude oil and natural gas from shale in the United States has culminated in the passing of Saudi Arabia in terms of oil production. This economic milestone is owed in due part to a relatively-recent implementation of hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking.” According to Aaron Herridge of Shale Gas España, hydraulic fracturing is “…an effective method of extracting natural gas (and oil) from natural shale formations.” In the process, a well cased in steel is injected with millions of pounds of “fracture fluid,” a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals, and the resulting pressure compels shale rock to create fissures, allowing for natural gas to be pumped back to the surface, along with fracture fluids. In fact, the chemicals in fracture fluid are the catalysts for environmental ramifications. When coinciding with oil spills and dangerous natural compounds, the negatives outweigh the positives. Despite hydraulic fracturing’s auspicious impact upon the U.S.’s production of oil, it poses as a significant threat to the health of the environment; through the proliferation of fractured wells, the use of dangerous chemicals, and high numbers of oil spills, water contamination, land damage, and air pollution have resulted. Undoubtedly the most precarious form of pollution that can beset the environment, water contamination has plagued the mindset that hydraulic fracturing is the future powerhouse of the American economy. According to Elizabeth Ridlington of Frontier Group, there are three particular ... ... middle of paper ... ...g testing market gives a positive premonition that many of the environmental ramifications of hydraulic fracturing will dissipate (Brino). Works Cited Brino, Anthony, Nearing, Brian. “New Waterlesss Fracking Method Avoids Pollution Problems, but Drillers Slow to Embrace It.” Inside Climate News. 6 Nov. 2011. Web. FracFocus. Find a Well. Map. [1:500,000]. GWPC and IOGCC, 2011. Web. Herridge, Aaron, Kerwin, Teresa, Lestarjette, Tricia, Schmidt, Mat, and Wohlgemuth, Lara. “The Consequences of Hydraulic Fracturing.” Powerpoint presentation. Web. 8 July 2014. Hoffman, Joe. “Potential Health and Environmental Effects of Hydrofracking in the Williston Basin, Montana.” SERC Carleton. NAGT, 26 June 2014. Web. 8 July 2014. Ridlington, Elizabeth, Rumpler, John. “Fracking by the Numbers: Key Impacts of Dirty Drilling at the State and National Level.” 8 July 2014. PDF File.
In today's global economy, energy is one of the most crucial and sought after commodities. Who supplies it and how much they supply determines how much influence they have over other countries as well as the global economy. This is why hydraulic fracturing is currently such an important and controversial topic in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as "fracking" or hydrofracturing, is the process of using pressurized liquids to fracture rocks and release hydrocarbons such as shale gas, which burns more efficiently than coal. This booming process of energy production provides a much needed economic boost, creating jobs and providing gas energy for Americans. The efficiently burning shale gas reduces carbon emission from electricity production plants, reducing carbon footprints on the environment. However, the process of hydraulic fracturing uses millions of gallons of pressurized liquid, which contains toxic chemicals, and some of this water is left over undealt with. The air near fracking sites is often also polluted and unsafe for nearby community residents. Injecting millions of gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals into the rock thousands of feet deep can cause earthquakes, causing a safety hazards for all nearby areas. Hydraulic Fracturing makes rare natural gases easily attainable, boosting the economy and reducing carbon emissions. However, the negative side effects such as contaminated water and air, make hydraulic fracturing a process that may not be worth the benefits.
The United States has an immense amount of proven natural gas reserves that could become a major source for the nation's energy future (1). The mining of the natural gas resources have become feasible and cheaper due to the advancement of hydraulic fracturing technologies which have increased the amount the extraction and enabled “greater access to gas in shale formations” (2). Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking of shale formations has positive benefits that includes economic growth and the natural gas extracted is cleaner than coal and oil, however it has caused serious environmental problems and possibly could be the cause of recent seismic activity in areas where fracking operations exist (3).
Ever since the process of hydraulic fracturing—or fracking—made its entrance to the oil industry, issues and problems surrounding the process have become a common occurrence. Fracking is the controversial process of horizontal drilling (see fig. 1), where millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals are pumped deep into an oil well to extract natural gas from the earth’s crust (Ehrenberg 20). This practice has even been banned in some places (see fig. 1). The methane that comes out of the earth and the water used—called fracking fluid—has the potential to cause problems with local ground water supplies. Whether or not fracking is the cause of these problems, concern should be observed during the fracking process to reduce the chances of water contamination among residential areas.
Fracking can cause harm to people, animals, and nature. When they drill into the ground they are pumping chemicals to extract the gas and oil, and this contaminates the water sources around it. “An editorial on gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale in the Post-Star, a newspaper in Glens Falls, New York, contends, “New York state simply can’t take the risk. There are plenty of places to find fuel. It’s not so easy to find a new water supply for 17 million people.”” (Hydrofracking
Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, is a widespread practice in the United States. Fracking is a method used to extract oil and natural gas. Scientists and citizens report detrimental side effects of hydraulic drilling. New York and Vermont have banned fracking statewide. Maryland has set a two year moratorium on fracking, so that more research can be done to show the impacts of fracking on the environment. Nationwide, many other cities and counties have banned fracking as well. All states should look into finding alternative sources of energy, instead of using devastating practices like fracking to extract non-renewable resources.
In his article “How Fracking Is Bad for Our Bodies,” Jason Silverstein who is a lecturer and writer in residence in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School states the problem of hydraulic fracking in cities in the US. Silverstein article, which was published in, The Atlantic, on October 8, 2013, shows the problems caused by hydraulic fracking. Although Silverstein provides a wide array of disadvantages of fracking, he does not mention any advantages brought by fracking.
Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is hitting close to home here in North Texas. Dallas-Fort Worth has become a gold mine for the natural Shale Gas that is located deep below the ground in rocks. Fracking is the use of chemicals to break down rock deep under the ground to get a natural Shale gas. In the article ‘Shale gas and tight oil: Framing the opportunities and risk’ the authors Tommy Inglesby, Rob Jenks, Scott Nyquist, and Dickon Pinner points out that fracking is very beneficial with energy security and the natural-gas. But, fracking uses harsh chemicals that can contaminate ground water, dangerous greenhouse-gas emissions and low water availability.
Before one can see the devastating effects of fracking, one must first understand how fracking works. As previously stated, the main intent of hydro-fracking is to access and harvest natural gas that lies below the surface of the Earth. Having formed over 400 million years ago by the collision of tectonic plates (Marsa 3), the Marcellus Shale plays host to a gold mine of natural gas, which is currently at the center of the fracking debate in the Northeastern region of the United States. Unfortunately, access...
For those of you who do not know what fracking is exactly, it is when water is mixed with sand and chemicals, and then is injected into wells at hi...
The use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been both a blessing and a curse to us. It holds great promise and great demise in one bundle, where when we have one we have the other. I feel fracking is good, but if not monitored it can lead to mass pollution and the destruction of environments.
The dangers of hydraulic fracturing go beyond just humans, hydraulic fracturing is also dangerous to the Earth. During the processes of fracturing there is
One of the biggest natural resources used in fracking is water. On average, around one to eight million gallons of water are used on a fracture job. There are also around 500,000 active fracture sites around the world and each site can be fractured around 18 times. This means that roughly 72 trill...
Fracking has become a highly controversial and publicized topic due to rising concerns and growing analysis into the mutual benefits of hydraulic fracturing to retrieve natural gas and oil reserves. With concerns of water pollution, mismanagement of toxic waste and irreversible
Numerous reports have been given on the dangerous affects of hydraulic fracturing. One such affect that has been noticed is that drinking water wells near the fracturing sites have been contaminated. During the hydro-fracking process, injected fluids that help to break and keep open the rock bed where the natural gas is kept, have “been known to travel three thousand feet from the well (Goldman).” This fluid could have the potential to enter and contaminate any water well for homes around hydraulic fracturing sites. This incident is one of the major problems that people want to figure out and know about before they allow a fracturing site by them. It has been the most feared outcome of having a fracking site nearby, and it is highly appropriate. One site in Wyoming had this happen, “…in August, EPA reported that eleven of thirty-nine drinking-water wells near a Wyoming hydraulic fracturing operation were contaminated with chemicals used in the fracturing process (Hobson EPA).” In Pennsylvania, another such case occurred, “There have already been severe pollution cases in Pennsylvania, mo...
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