Fracking

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"You can't get water out of stone," goes the old saying and maybe you can't, but you can get oil and natural gas out of stone with a dangerous practice called fracking. "Fracking is a technique to extract petroleum and natural gas from underground rock formations" (ProQuest). According to Ellen Gilliland, a geophysicist and researcher at Virginia Center for Coal and Energy research, fracking is one of the most controversial practices in the energy industry to develop oil and gas reserves (Gilliland). Kathleen Hartnett, a Harvard graduate, has discovered that fracking causes many environmental concerns such as contamination of drinking water, waste water pollution of rivers, groundwater depletion, air emissions of toxic pollutants, radiation, and even earthquakes (Hartnett). Fracking should not be continued due to the risks it causes to the environment such as damaging property, contaminating water, and polluting the air.
Although supporters say if fracking is properly regulated, it is safe and changes to the landscape would be minor. Fracking causes much damage to property as stated in the article "Fracking Faces Opposition Amid Safety Fears" (Adam). Charles Piddock, author of National Geographic Investigates, states that fracking can cause earthquakes. "A dozen small earthquakes that struck Ohio in 2011 were likely caused by fracking" (Piddock). There are also many landscape issues involving fracking. Each fracking site needs a lot of trucks to transport water and sand in and out to carry waste water away. Traffic wears down roads and the trucks used cause noise and odors that are harmful to the environment (Hartnett). Fracking is considered I obtainable and is largely responsible for recent development of unconventional reserv...

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...rla. "In Britain, Fracking Faces Opposition Amid Safety Fears." Washington Post. 03

Sep. 2013: P.A.6. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

Brune, Michael. "An Industry Run Amok." USA TODAY. 26 March. 2012: A.8. SIRS Issue

Researcher. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Fox, Josh. "Ban Fracking Now." USA TODAY. 07 Jun. 2011: A.8. SIRS Issues Researcher.

Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

Gilliland, Ellen. "Fracking' Can Access Energy From Deep Below." McClathy-Tribune News

Service. 09 Jun. 2012: n.p. SIRS Researcher. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

Hartnett White, Kathleen. "The Fracas about Fracking." National Review. 20 Jun. 2011: 38-41.

SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11. 2014.

Piddock, Charles. "Fracking Fight." Junior Scholastic. 15. Apr. 2013: 8t. SIRS Discovery Web.

11 Feb. 2014.

ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Fracking." ProQuest LLC. 2014: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher.

Web. 04 Feb. 2014.

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