Advantages And Disadvantages Of Hydraulic Fracturing

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

In recent years, the subject of hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking has been a constant subject of interest in the news media. The pros and cons of fracking are passionately debated. However, the public should become educated on the subject of fracking prior to choosing a side of the argument. In the scholarly article, “Super Fracking,” published in 2014, by Donald L. Trucotte, Eldridge M. Moores, and John B. Rundle, a detailed description of fracking is provided, followed by their analysis of current issues surrounding the controversy. According to Trucotte, Moores, and Rundle, fracking saves the consumer money. The wellhead cost to produce natural gas in January of 2000 was two dollars and sixty cents per one thousand cubic feet. At an alarming rate, the cost at the wellhead to produce natural gas had risen to eight dollars per one thousand cubic feet by January of 2006. Comfortingly, the wellhead cost dropped to two dollars and eighty-nine cents by the end of 2012. Impressively, gas production increase and price decrease over the time period are a result of fracking. In their article, Trucotte, Moores, and Rundle describe in great detail that hydraulic fracturing, most commonly referred to as fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth to fracture the layers of rock so that a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the oil or natural gas inside. This method of fracking has been used commercially for the last fifty years.

Therefore with resources becoming scarce humanity needs to extract the most from what the earth has. In fact from adding gasoline to your vehicle, to power plant facilities using natural gas instead of burning coal to power homes, to computes and cell phones, almost everything in our lives depend on an oil based product and fracking is the solution for the depletion of fossil fuels. Three controversial issues with hydraulic fracking are nearly everything people use daily has a petroleum based product, contamination of drinking water also the surrounding soil, and the financial impact on the economy. Many people in America do not realize the positives that comes with fracking. It is a great way to help the economy in the United States. Fracking decreases the price of all petroleum products including the price in gas. When gas prices decrease it allows other products such as food, plastics, and other petroleum goods to also go down in price. With these savings being passed down to the consumers it makes the cost of living in America much easier for many people who are living with a minimum wage budget. Minimum wage going up in Oregon and gas prices declining creates a stir in people making them spend more and builds consumer confidence on what is spent. In turn this rapid spending creates a boom in the American economy. With fracking producing nine million barrels a day and decreasing prices by forty five

Did you know that at one point, the United States (U.S.) had a fear that they would run out of natural gas? Roughly a decade ago, government officials and industry analysts predicted that the U.S. would have a shortage in natural gas, the main source of energy in the states. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, would shortly be the answer to the problem. Hydraulic fracturing was developed sixty years ago by George P. Mitchell, who combined hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling as a process to extract natural gas from within the ground. Fracking is the process of pumping millions of gallons of chemically treated water, sand, and various chemicals into deep shale formations at pressures of nine thousand pounds per square inch or more.

The crisis for obtaining fossil fuels such as oil and natural gases is at an all-time high. With the limited amounts and struggles of obtaining these needed natural resources for everyday use we find ourselves trying new technological advancements to extract these fossil fuels out of the ground. One way of doing so is through the use of fracking. Fracking is the extraction of natural gasses from shell rock deep beneath the earth’s surface. With the new scientific technological advancements of fracking we can obtain natural gasses in ways that were once un-thought of before. In many ways fracking is beneficial, fracking can provide vast amounts of natural gasses which can be used not only in our everyday lives, but can also be beneficial from an economic stand point as well. However, along with the benefits of fracking there also comes some drawbacks. The use of fracking can contaminate our water sources, and can also cause very large amounts of pollution, causing diseases and death. To get a clearer understanding of what fracking can do we must first learn how fracking works, its benefits for our economy, but also its drawbacks on the environment, and draw a conclusion on whether or not fracking is overall more beneficial or harmful.

Taking care of our environment is the only step we can take to ensure that humanity has a long future ahead of us. To misuse the planet further than we already have with logging, damming, and pollution means a predetermined date where the earth will eventually be unable to support life any longer. “Compared to coal, the footprint of shale gas is at least 20% greater and perhaps more than twice as great on the 20-year horizon, and is comparable over 100 years”(Black). This exemplifies the fact that even though the profits may be great, the true cost put on the environment eclipses any benefit.

The global crisis surrounding energy needs grows in severity as time goes by and in order to solve it, scientists have created the innovative solution known as hydraulic fracturing (Source 5). Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking,” is a process that injects water, chemicals, sand, and other materials into layers of shale. The injected mixture cracks the layers of shale, releasing trapped natural gasses that can be collected (Source 1). Fracking occurs deep under the surface of the earth, miles below the groundwater that is accessed from drinking-water wells. In the mid-2000s, “fuel prices were rising rapidly” (Source 5). Hydraulic fracturing was a cheap solution that not only brought the world out of a state of emergency but made oil prices drop. The new method of gas collection grew the oil and gas industry, benefiting people all around the world. Fracking is a cheap, effective solution to global needs, but is under attack from skeptics who worry about environmental hazards. The claims against fracking not only have no real evidence but also risk destroying the jobs in the oil and gas industry as well as support for energy needs. Hydraulic fracturing is not only a cheap but a safe method that supports global needs surrounding both energy and jobs.

Hydraulic fracturing, has allowed the United States to tap into domestic sources of natural gas and oil that were previously not economical to extract from such as shale beds. This has created numerous economic benefits for communities and governments in a time of economic instability.

Hydraulic fracturing is an increasingly common practice used to access otherwise unobtainable oil or natural gas reserves. While it shows promise as both a valuable economic resource as well as a source of energy independence, many oppose the practice due to alleged environmental dangers. In order to foster a greater understanding of the issues at hand, the following topics are discussed: what hydraulic fracturing is, how it is performed, and where it is located in the United States and abroad; how it has benefited the United States’ economy and how it can support the United States’ energy needs; legal and environmental issues; domestic and overseas regulations; and last but not least, what President Obama had to say about the practice in his 2012 Executive Order. The paper concludes with the author’s personal opinion regarding regulation of the practice here in the United States.

Hydraulic Fracturing or “Fracking” is something that has been prevalent in the news in recent times. It has revolutionised the energy industry in the US and now there are various companies competing as drilling companies suggest that trillions of cubic feet of shale gas may be recoverable from underneath parts of northern England. As many of our coal powered power stations are coming to the end of their lives, alternative sources of energy need to be found. However, there has been mass protest, due to the environmental and social impact of the fracking process.

Referring to fracking already gives a large and complex theme which exceeds simple the process that it requires, although this procedure has been used in America since 1940, it is not until now, when the hydraulic fracturing process has been refined and used more than ever. In the United States fracking, or the process of extracting oil and natural gas from unconventional sites where these fuels are trapped in rocks, has a lot to do with the economic side, since it is one of the most important things that is leading to the energy independence of the country, but there are a variety of drawbacks that take away the reliability of this method. With the issue of fracking, the environmental concerns should be analyzed and put first, regardless of

Around our country there has been a big debate going on about a certain process used to help harvest natural gas. This process has brought about many view points and people arguing for the good and bad of it. This paper will examine views from both sides, its effects on the environment, review journal entries, and then show the conclusion reached about this process. The process you might have guessed that I am referring to is that of hydraulic fracturing or otherwise known as fracking by most people.

Hydraulic fracturing is a divisive issue in the United States. One side argues that hydraulic fracturing has the potential to create jobs and prop up the economy while the other side argues that the resulting environmental damage from hydraulic fracturing greatly outweighs any potential benefits. A lot of evidence seems to support the opponents of hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing should be banned because it can cause great harm to the environment; it can lead to geological disasters and has the potential to negatively affect the health of those in surrounding areas.

Hydraulic fracturing is when solutions are pumped into the ground to produce the energy source of natural gas. Using it has its benefits and downfalls. From an economic perspective, it can be highly beneficial because it would provide more access to oil and gas through the crevices in the ground that ends up getting left out in regular extractions. This would allow these resources to be cheaper and it can give us more time to deal with environmental conditions since its a cleaner source of fuel. Some companies take it upon themselves to advertise this portion and how it would create more jobs on a social level. This is done to ensure that more people in the population can become more acceptable to this method of extraction.

For years man has relied on energy in order to be successful in life. The industrial revolution relied on coal for the new inventions brought into the world. Life as has never been the same since then. However since that time, there has been little done to improve on energy efficiency and humans still primarily rely on fossil fuels for energy. For over a hundred years the Earth has become more polluted and dirtier than ever before. Now, with new, innovative technology there is an opportunity to change that and to rely on renewable, cleaner sources of energy. The main source of energy for the world should be alternative energy instead of energy from fossil fuels.