Hydraulic fracturing in the United States started in 1949. Two million oil wells have used this method since 2013. Hydraulic fracturing is a well-stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a hydraulically pressurized liquid. Environmental safety and health concerns about hydraulic fracturing emerged in the 1980s, and are still being debated at the state and federal levels. Since then, hydraulic fracturing method to extract natural gas has been used, even though the health risks have been
what hydraulic fracturing actually is. Before the process is explained we should understand why it has become prevalent in the last decade. The reason Hydraulic fracturing has become so popular in the last couple of years is because of the passage of the energy policy act of 2005, which contained the Halliburton loophole. The Halliburton loophole stripped the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing (New York Times 2009). Allowing Hydraulic Fracturing allowed
Introduction Hydraulic fracturing, having been patented in 1949 has been the caveat by which one third of the natural gas in the U.S. is obtained.1 The fracturing process requires millions of gallons of fluid to be driven into the ground at high enough pressures to break up shale and rock and in turn lets out natural gases. The process has been proven to be very successful thus being one of the major contributors to modern day natural gas collecting. Though there are many great aspects to hydraulic fracturing
Hydraulic Fracturing is a process that releases trapped natural gas by expanding cracks in the surrounding rock via the pressure created by pumping a concoction of water, sand and chemical additives, like benzene, deep underground via a well. Hydraulic fracturing dates back to the 1940’s, however it did not become popular until 2003 when natural gas companies began to explore alternative energy resources. Although hydraulic fracturing is an efficient engineering process, the act, by the engineers
Ethical Issues Concerning Hydraulic Fracturing in the Petroleum Industry. In these present days we have a lot of ethical issue in our day to day living going from conflict of interest all the way up to cutting corners in the petroleum industry. A good example of an ethical issue would be why fracking is bad, which I find to be very dangerous and could lead to various disasters such as loss of life, danger to the community and thereby leading to bad credibility. In this paper I would be talking
Hydraulic Fracturing and Directional Drilling have allowed the production of oil and gas from “unconventional” resources, like shale gas and shale oil. Natural gas demand is increasing, in addition, is increasingly becoming an important role in meeting demand for energy in the United States. Thus Hydraulic Fracturing stimulated shale among the fastest emergent energy sources in the United States, a source that seemed impossible to few years ago. Natural gas, the cleanest burning fossil fuel, now
criteria poisons, and mercury by the power sector. Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling make the extraction of firmly bound characteristic gas from shale developments monetarily practical. Yet these advancements are not free from ecological dangers, particularly those identified with territorial water quality, for example, gas relocation, contaminant transport through affected and naturally
within the public’s best interest to be fully aware of new innovations and advocate for transparency and reliable research. The United States is currently seeing the need for transparency with our progressive methods on extracting natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing is negatively contributing to public health in many direct and indirect ways. These impacts can be seen both in an environmental and human health perspective, as both of these aspects contribute greatly to one another. Potential hazards include
The Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing What is Fracking? Hydraulic fracturing, also known as ‘fracking’ is a technology that involves the extraction of natural gases through the injection of harmful chemicals, sand, and water. This technique includes the process of drilling a hole deep within the surface layer of the environment. As a result, it deteriorates the density of the land, pollutes the air, and contaminates underground drinking water sources. According to Bill Freemans’s “Fracking Is Not
The process of hydraulic fracturing has been around since the 1940’s, though not until recent years has it been an economically viable option. Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, refers to the process of injecting large volumes of water, mixed with a proppant (usually sand) and chemicals, down a well at high pressures in order to fracture underground formations with low permeability. Due to technology advances allowing companies to drill horizontal wells in recent years, the use of fracking has
Hydraulic fracturing, also called fracking, is a technique designed to release the gas and oil from shale rock hidden underneath earth’s surface. The term fracking itself is referring to the point at which the shale rock is broken open by a high-pressure mixture
I. Introduction Hydraulic fracturing should be allowed because of improvements in drilling techniques, new environmental precautions, and a cheaper source of cleaner burning energy. This is a stimulation technique that is used to increase the quantity of oil and gas production from the underground rock formations. It entails the injection of fluids under high pressures to a point of fracturing the oil and gas producing formation. In most cases, the fluids consist of water, chemical and proppant
Introduction “Hydraulic fracturing involves the use of water pressure to create fractures in rock that allow the oil and natural gas it contains to escape and flow out of a well (Energy From Shale).” Fracking has served to extract natural gas and oil where other methods would not be as successful but many environmentalists argue that fracking is affecting the environment and our drinking supply of water. Although fracking is still a controversial topic, it provides Americans jobs, increases the economy
Human Health and Hydraulic Fracturing Current research, in the field of public health, is looking at the adverse health effects of hydraulic fracturing on community members. This research is focused on looking for evidence-based research in processes, procedures, materials and cleanup from drilling and running a well. In recent years, several states such as Maryland and New York, have called for special advisory commissions to examine the potential adverse health implications for the community if
Hydraulic fracturing aka “fracking” is the mechanical process that uses fluids and other macro sized materials to create small fractures in the shale and bed rock under surfaces of the earth. The fractures, usually no more than an inch wide, allow the highly pressurized oil and natural gas to flow freely to the pipe to the pumped back to the surface. The first known commercial use of hydraulic fracking first came about during the 1940s but dates all the way back 1865 during the Civil War. To increase
chemicals that can be in your drinking water. During the process of shale fracturing, Methane gas and toxins pour out from the system and contaminate the groundwater. The methane concentrations are 17 times higher in drinking water wells near fracking sites, than in normal wells. The chemicals in your drinking water can cause sensory, respiratory and neurological damage if ingested. (“what goes in and out of fracking”) In the end, hydraulic fracking produces 300,000 barrels of natural gas a day, but it cost
What has served as an argument between businessmen and environmentalists for many years is the process of fracking. Hydraulic fracturing is a process in which people drill into the earth, and then, at high pressure, a water mixture is sent down to release the natural gas from the shales. This process essentially fractures the rock the release natural gas. The reason for all the arguments is that businessmen want the money and value that natural gas has for energy, while environmentalists point
When does protecting one’s well-being and those of others for the sake of using natural gas become a priority? This is just one of the questions asked when hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, grew in notoriety here in the United States. The United States should stop using this form of drilling if it truly wants to protect its citizens. It must be stopped because it is putting our health at risk by poisoning the water that we drink, wasting billions of gallons of fresh water, and
Hydraulic Fracturing has many dangers that outweigh its benefits. Fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing) – what is it, what are the benefits and what are the dangers? What is it? Oil companies pump a combination of water, sand and toxic chemicals in to the earth crust to break up shale. This process facilitates the release of natural gasses, which serve as a source of energy. As higher demands for energy occur to power people’s homes, and electronics, natural gas consumption has made the gas exhausted
are the product of misconceptions, an uninformed public. One of the greatest examples of this is Josh Fox’s 2010 documentary GasLand, whose most memorable scene showed a man in Fort Lupton, Colorado, lighting his faucet on fire, blaming it on hydraulic fracturing. After the film was released, among numerous errors it contained, it was found that the water well contained naturally occurring biogenic gas unrelated to oil and gas activity (Energy In Depth).