The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

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Should fracking be illegal? Controversy has never been in short supply. One controversy in particular is always being discussed. And that is the topic of fracking. What is fracking? Fracking is actually short for hydraulic fracturing. According to Merriam-Webster, hydraulic fracturing is the injection of fluid into shale beds at high pressure in order to free up petroleum resources such as oil and natural gas. Although, the process has around for a long time, since 1947 to be exact, is has only become controversial as of recently. Fracking has come under fire because mega-companies, like ExxonMobil, have commercialized it. They are the largest producers of natural gas (Thompson “Hydraulic Fracturing Can Be Done Responsibly”). Fracking has been such a controversial topic in the United States because of its environmental impact, effect on the economy and politics, and concerns to public health. Although environmental extremists consider fracking as danger to the environment, it has done little to no harm. For one, the natural gas that is extracted burns …show more content…

Fracking uses millions of gallons of water. So there is the issue of potentially drying rivers and streams (Wheeler “Fracking: The pros and cons of the booming and controversial extraction process”). Also, the water used for fracking is almost always transported. This mass transportation with heavy trucks turn peaceful, rural roads into noisy, polluted industrial highways (Wheeler “Fracking: The pros and cons of the booming and controversial extraction process”). With the pollution coming from the big rig trucks adding more and more carbon emissions in the air. States that frack have seen a surge in earthquakes as well. From January 2014 to July 2014, the state of Oklahoma recorded approximately 250 small to medium earthquakes (Schmall “States With Fracking See Surge In Earthquake

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