The search for a good oil supply has been going on ever since cars first started to run on gasoline. Although while there are great ways to drill, there are extremely dangerous environmental hazards and risks to animals that come along with it. Fracking, many argue, is the best form of drilling that we have today. Fracking is the use of sand, water, and chemicals injected at high pressures to blast open shale rock and release the trapped gas inside. Still, many debate the use of fracking because while it provides jobs and helps the economy, fracking is awful for the environment because it uses many chemicals in the drilling process and it contaminates large supplies of drinking water.
Fracking is a fairly new drilling technique that uses a form of horizontal drilling through the earth to retrieve oil at certain depths. Once it breaks the surface of the ground, a “well” is drilled vertically down until the desired depth is reached. Once there it proceeds to make a 90 degree turn and will begin to drill horizontally for several thousands of feet where they believe the natural gas is. From there a mixture of water, sand, and various chemicals are pumped into the well at exceedingly high pressures. According to clean water action, “This is done to create fissures in the rock in which the gas can escape through” (“All about fracking” 1). Once the gas escapes through the fissures, it is pulled back up to the surface. There they proceed to process the oil, refine it and then ship it to the market. However the process is not over. The “wastewater” returns to the surface and is held in large steel tanks until a long-term waste solution can be reached.
One thing that fracking does provide is jobs to many unemployed Americans. Midwest energ...
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...gh that environmental hazards and even job hazards are extremely high?
Works Cited
Brzycki, Elaine. "Explore Shale." ExploreShale.org. N.p., 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
"Earthjustice: Because the Earth Needs a Good Lawyer." Earthjustice. Earthjustice, 2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
"Fact Sheets: All About Fracking | Clean Water Action." Fact Sheets: All About Fracking | Clean Water Action. Clean Water Action, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
Fox, Josh. "Gasland 2: A Film by Josh Fox - NOW on HBO." Gasland. HBO, 2010. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
Lydersen, Kari. "U.S. Chamber’s Fracking Job Boom: Behind the Numbers." U.S. Chamber's Fracking Jobs. Midwest Energy News, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
"Ohio Environmental Council." Ohio Environmental Council. Ohio Environmental Council, 2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
"Wilderness.org." Wilderness.org. The Wilderness Society, 2013. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
In conclusion, finding out the truth, the facts, and the goal of justice should be the main purpose of any civil case. Sadly, the judicial process gets in the way. The legal system becomes unjust and in some cases, justice is never served. Seeing the story unfold and reading about the struggle between wealth and power and justice is exciting, yet saddening. The book matters and should be read by all, from people who are studying the legal system to people who are not. It is an emotional and engaging book. It can’t be forgotten. One man can make the biggest difference and finding the truth is much more fulfilling than any riches.
Solis, Hilda. “Environmental Justice: An Unalienable Right for All.” Human Rights 30 (2003): 5-6. JSTOR. Web. 13 February 2014.
In the video “Fracking Hell: The Untold Story” by Link TV explains how natural gas has been a huge problem not only for the earth in general but for everyone and everything living in it. The video explains how North East of Pennsylvania is having difficulties to conserve a healthy environment and people. North East of Pennsylvania is the main sources to extract gas and send it throughout the United States for gasoline and so on. However, this action is wonderful for the cost of gas, but has a huge impact on the environment and the people living in Pennsylvania. A lot of people in this state are worried having health issues because everything is not usable is being thrown out to the rivers where they get their fresh water.
Inc. Pollock, J. M. (2010). The 'Path of the Earth'. Journal of Science, Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice, Sixth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
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.
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
Conflicting reports make it difficult to discern just how detrimental the practice is to the environment and people. What is known is that fracking uses phenomenal amounts of water, which is becoming a scarce resource in many parts of the country. There is no doubt that the fluid used in the fracking process contains chemicals, and when released into water supplies has negative effects on these sources. Injection of flowback materials into deep wells has been definitively linked to increased seismic activity. Damage to roads due to the high traffic of trucks shipping equipment and product is astronomical. Worldwide, four countries have outright banned the practice and others are waiting for more research to be done before they continue to allow it. A few states know the devastating side effects that come with the practice, and have banned hydraulic fracturing. While there is no doubt that fracking can produce resources that are used by Americans, there is a lot of doubt as to whether it is safe or not. Hopefully, the country will follow those that have banned the practice, and adopt other safer forms of energy
Hydraulic fracking is a process in which water and other chemical additives are pumped through a drill underground to fracture shale formations to extract natural gas. This natural gas can be used as energy for houses heating fuel, propane, and other energy consuming products. However, the downsides of fracking can cause environmental harm such as methane emissions that contribute to global warming and water contamination.
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...
What is Hydraulic Fracturing or as some refer to as Fracking? Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking is a method of mining. The process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at high pressure in order to crack shale rocks and release trapped natural gas from the ground. Fracking was first used in 1947, at the Hugoton field in southwestern Kansas. Stanolind Oil (AMOCO) was the company that conducted the experimental fracking method. Floyd Farris, who works for AMOCO, is the person who preformed studies of the pressure of injecting water and certain chemicals into oil and gas wells; the process of fracking was introduced. Fracking can produce a lot of energy, but it also has the potential to harm the environment. One question that is asked is “Will Fracking affect our water that we drink and change our lifestyle?” America could become independent on energy if there is more fracking. Independence on gas and oil would help all of our country.
Fracking requires water containing various chemicals to be shot into the ground under a vacuum. This water will then flow back up with the extracted oil or natural gas or will be absorbed into the natural water supply. Furthermore, when oil and natural gas are extracted from the ground, water, known as coproduced water, will also be extracted. Kyle Murray writes that “due to the poor quality of coproduced water it is, in most cases, subsequently disposed via deep subsurface wastewater injection wells” (4919). These wastewater injection wells function by injecting water deep into the group where it cannot interact with the regular drinking water. These wastewater injection wells, however, lead to other problems which will be discussed later. Further problems can be seen in that the chemicals injected with the water can be toxic to the environment and the people around areas containing fracking. Sarah Gosman states, “The fluids may enter groundwater directly from the wellbore if the casing is of poor quality or the cementing is inadequate, conditions that the high pressures of high-volume hydraulic fracturing could exacerbate” (97). These chemicals could easily seep into the drinking water and scientists are not sure the damage that they could cause. There is also currently a lack of regulations on the disclosure of chemicals being injected for these
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...
Fracking is a highly controversial practice that utilizes the injection of water, chemicals and abrasives to extract relatively inaccessible pockets of natural resources. Although fracking has the potential to benefit the economy, it may also pose a significant impact on the environment, the ecosystem and safety.
Fracking is a pressurized, chemically treated mixture of water and sand to release and extract natural gas and petroleum from shale rock. There are many articles, studies being done, and organizations fighting for what they think is right. Environmentalist want the technique of fracking banned because it plays a part in global warming, affects our water, and causes human health problems. If fracking cannot be banned because of its necessity then it should be made safe and eco-friendly. The process involves a well being drilled vertically to the desired depth, then turns ninety degrees and continues horizontally for thousands of feet into the shale believed to contain the trapped natural gas. A mix of water, sand, and various chemicals is pumped into the well at high pressure in order to create fissures in the shale through which the gas can escape. Natural gas escapes through the fissures and is drawn back up the well to the surface, where it is processed, refined, and shipped to market. Flowback returns to the surface after the
...Available By: Acker, James. Contemporary Justice Review, Sep2008, Vol. 11 Issue 3, p287-289, 3p; DOI: 10.1080/10282580802295625