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Costs and benefits of drilling for natural gas
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In 2009, the filmmaker Josh Fox set out on a journey to discover the harmful risks of natural gas drilling. His property,sitting on a huge reservoir called marcellus shale field, is recognized for its abundance of natural gas. The energy policy act of 2005 exempts natural gas drilling from certain environmental regulations. This act incentivized the oil industry to invest more on natural gas. For this reason, natural gas development has altered the lives of many people. For example, there was a scene that demonstrated the the extent of the contamination. People’s houses became so contaminated with natural gas that their water caught on fire. And in other cases, the exposure to natural gas lead to spike in health problems. Preliminary studies
have shown to correlate natural gas development to the rise in health problems. My issue of concern is not only with natural gas but also with the fracking fluid used to extract it and the water that is used to produce it. There are hundreds of chemicals used to make fracking fluid with no credible way of researching the effects of it. Consequently, natural gas industries are dumping their fracking fluid waste and “produced water” to the environment. Another interesting aspect to note is the degree in which corporation are deliberately silencing dissenting views. In the instance a person’s livelihood is affected by natural gas drilling, the industry pays them off in a settlement. The individual will then become obliged to sign a non-disclosure agreement which imposes the individual to stay silent on the manner. This movie opened my eyes to the reality of the effects of natural gas. All around me, I was surrounded with positive advert campaigns about oil and natural gas. And although I was not familiar with the topic, I was hesitant to believe this propaganda. This movie reiterates the theme of Marxism view of capitalism. Corporation will continue to racketeer profits at any means necessary. This continual need for progress will come at the expense of the environment and the common citizen.
There is an abundance of oil underneath earth’s crust on land and in the water but getting to that oil can be proven as a challenge and a negative impact on the earth. Many of these oil reservoirs lie in federally protected land or water to minimize the negative impact on the earth. But should those restrictions be removed? Removing the restrictions can allow the US to tap into domestic reserves rather than rely on imported oil from the Middle East and Asia but tapping these reservoirs can also leave behind an impact that is harmful to this planet. “Critics oppose this move for fear that it will cause irreparable harm environmental harm. They point to the April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as evidence of the risks associated with offshore drilling” (SIRS).
Natural gas in the Karoo has raised several optimism regarding the abundance that has been found, however several ethical issues are raised when drilling natural gas.... ... middle of paper ... ...(2011) 750 different chemicals were used by various oil and gas companies during hydraulic fracturing over a four year period, where a minimum of 29 were identified to contain carcinogens which are listed as hazardous on both the Clean Air and Safe Drinking Water Act. The USEPA (2011) suggested that chemicals used during fracking should be monitored according to specific criteria. With the technical background in mind, this is certainly one of the categories to decide if fracking is ethical or not.
The United States relies on imports for about forty percent of its crude oil, which is the lowest rate of dependency since 1991 according to the U.S Energy Information Administration. Today our country is trying to keep on track in becoming less and less dependent. When it comes to the topic of the future ways the United States will get its fuel, most of us readily agree that the United States should become more independent by using natural gas that is already here on our land. Where this argument usually ends, however, is on the question of the consequences drilling for natural gas brings. Whereas some are convinced drilling is safe, others maintain that it is actually in fact dangerous. Hydraulic fracturing or "fracking", the terms for drilling for natural gas, is dangerous to our public health and to the environment because of the water contamination it causes. Therefore, it is not something that should become a project for alternative fuel used by the United States.
In the documentary Gasland the main concerns of Josh Fox regarding hydraulic fracturing were the industry was highly unregulated and reckless which caused the contamination of ground and drinking water which was the cause of illness.. The most important concern Josh had was hydraulic fracturing was causing the contamination of peoples ground and drinking water. He claims hydraulic fracturing is causing gases such as methane and heavy metals such as mercury, use...
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
Drilling for Natural Gas in the Marcellus and Utica Shales: Environmental Regulatory Basics [Fact sheet]. n.d. - n.d. - n.d. Retrieved from Agriculture and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University website: http://wayne.osu.edu/topics/agriculture-and-natural-resources/gas-and-oil-lease-information/2011-wayne-county-oils-and-gas-lease-meeting-resources/Marcellus_Shale_Fact_Sheet.pdf. Fracking: The New Global Water Crisis? (2012, March).
Around the mitten shaped state of Michigan, five gigantic lakes encompass the coast. Providing a spot for vacationers, fisherman, and much wildlife, the Great Lakes are the pride and joy of Michigan. The history of the lakes stretches back thousands of years, where glaciers carved the lakes out of bedrock. These lakes provided a surplus of food and access to easy travel for settlers hundreds of years ago. People around the Great Lakes area appreciate the diversity of wildlife, scenery, and rarity of such landmarks. When the question of whether to drill in these lakes for oil and natural gas came up, it ignited many debates. Is our wildlife more important than oil to us? Or does the presence of oil and natural gas mean we can corrupt our environment and endanger many different types of species, along with ourselves?
Gasland is a documentary about a man who is offered money to sell his land for natural gas drilling companies and finds out that people are having problems where natural gas drilling companies are in place. In his journey, he finds out that people are having problems with their water supply, sometimes even far as to be enough to burn. After taking samples from the water, he finds out that it contains toxic chemicals. A proof came out when several fishes, birds and rabbits were found dead around the polluted water.
Environmental and socioeconomic debate over an alternative method of extracting natural gas thousands of feet below the surface using horizontal drilling and hydraulic “fracking” has risen in last twenty years. Fracking is the technique of drilling deep wells under high pressure with sand, water and a variety of chemicals to crack open rocks to release natural gas (hydrogen carbons) and oil from shale or coal bed methane deposits. Townships in Colorado like Lafayette and Fort Collins, voted on a moratorium to ban fracking within city limits. Environmental organizations like the Clean Water Action and Sierra Club claim that that fracking causes environmental degradation, health issues and impacts negatively on communities and their infrastructure. Whereas organizations like the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA), Halliburton and other oil and gas industry and construction groups, and some local, state and federal politicians, claim that fracking is a safe method of onshore drilling. By burning natural gas which is considered a clean fuel reduces the amount of greenhouse gases that coal does as well as lower carbon energy use in the future. Fracking decrease dependence on foreign oil and gas, improves ability to generate electricity and heat home cheaply. Fracking supports local economies and provides much needed jobs (energyfromshale.org).
Natural gas extraction and consumption has risen over the past thirty years. Also known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking, a tremendous amount of uproar is being made in the environmental and political communities. Natural gas use is a great source of energy worldwide, only in America have we had a gold rush affect when it comes to extraction. Natural gas provides less dependence on foreign oil, less need for coal plants, and a more affordable energy source worldwide. There are many advantages to using natural gas but the way in which it is being extracted has caused many people to become sick. The detrimental environmental impacts caused by hydraulic fracturing continue to rise. Not to mention the political pull on big corporations and water quality standards. Currently in the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania and the Barnett shale in Texas, the air and water quality have diminished over the past years since drilling sites ran rampant. Natural gas is natural in terms of how it came to be, but not natural in how they extract it and the problems it is causing everyone involved. To make aware the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, environmental impacts, water quality and air emissions, must be considered.
Janise Miescke 5/6/2017 Assignment 3 When Money Speaks Louder than Obligation Texas has always been one to hold the belief ‘everything is bigger in Texas’.
The oil & gas industry is among the largest industries in the world. The sector generates large revenues and employs a large number of people in order to meet the worldwide demand for energy.
The process of Hydraulic Fracturing is a process that 90% of natural gas wells in the United States use to extract gas from the ground. The first step in fracturing is digging anywhere straight into the ground Fractures are created by pumping large amounts of fluids at high pressure down a wellbore and into the rock formation. Hydraulic fracturing fluid commonly consists of water, proppant and chemical additives that open and enlarge fractures within the rock formation. These fractures can extend several hundred feet away from the well. The proppants - sand, ceramic pellets or other small incompressible particles - hold open the newly created fractures.
Segments of mini interviews were included to provide a firsthand perspective on the disturbing reactions of the effects of the oil wells. This is where the “fracktivists” discussed their experiences of health concerns with their families as well as the lack of say they have in the companies bringing in these pads to their neighborhoods. I found this to be very informative because not only are the families facing health concerns from the fracking, but they also have no say in the production of the oil wells and can only relocate to escape the issue. However, this idea plays an important role within the film to the parents of children who have experienced health concerns from the fracking; they choose to take a stand against the industries and show that no profit should out weight a child in harm. In a short clip, we see how the hydraulic fracking has exposed serious health concerns on many different levels.
Drilling is a very significant and common activity which is used in many fields and industries in our everyday life; such as oil drilling and construction. Drilling requires large mechanical devices that dig deep into the ground and sometimes through several layers of rock and mineral. Drilling machines have a rotating mechanical tool attached to them known as drill bits which are used to cut and remove materials in order to penetrate deep below the ground. Drill bits come in different shapes, materials and sizes, and can create different kinds of holes in many different materials. Because of their vital role in drilling, it is hence very important that the material of the drill bits is strong. A common material for drill bits is steel. However, they proved to be inefficient as they have difficulty going through hard rocks because the metal is not strong enough. Moreover, they tend to overheat and collapse when used for a period of time. This is because the Metals are better conductors of heat than any other solids, as the electrons