Commentary On The Film 'Gasland Part II'

Imbued with continuous fabrications, Gasland by Josh Fox is a less reliable argument on hydraulic fracking compared to FrackNation by Phelim McAleer. Hydraulic fracturing, is a technique used by the oil and gas industry to extract natural gas from rock thousands of feet underground. The process includes pumping millions of gallons of water, sand and toxic chemicals underground. Gasland is filled with multiple concerns and warnings of the breakdown of the chemicals causing harm to our environment. Josh Fox relies heavily on repetition of facts in his film by giving statements and no information to back them up. In Gasland pathos is used frequently to catch the audiences soft spot, making them feel guilty about what fracking is doing to the environment.

First, she interviews Joseph Martin, P.H.D, P.E. Department of Civil Architectural and Environmental Engineering, from the University of Philadelphia County, PA, he says that Fracking has the lowest impact to the surface of the ground and is the easiest and more efficient way to get energy. Second, she talks to Terry Engelder, Professor of Geosciences Penn State University Centre County, PA, and explains that fracking is a process where the rock is split, and natural gas is released. Also, tells the chemicals they use is house detergent, and the movie Gasland is based on “innuendo”, that all the problems there is is because of fracking and not taking in consideration other reasons. Third, Shelly says that fracking benefited other companies like U.S. Steel. Then she travels to Shreveport Louisiana and talks to Gary Hansen, Director of The Red River Watershed Management Institute Caddo Parish,

For the past twenty to thirty years, hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, has been the number one source of natural gas, oil, and energy in the United States. The process of fracking is that a well is built above the ground and then a drill digs several thousand feet deep into the ground to extract the oil and natural gas that is trapped inside of rock formations. Fracking is very controversial because of the cost of the process and the environmental “threats” that it poses. From methane emissions to earthquakes, fracking has been accused to be linked with several environmental issues. To prevent any environmental dangers, states place regulations and boundaries that energy companies have to follow in order to build a well and keep it up and running. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) also works with states to help regulate these wells. More importantly, fracking in the United States is very important and acts as a bridge to the future. While it may be argued that hydraulic fracturing is not beneficial to the economy and harmful to the environment, fracking in the United States should not be banned because fracking is not only imperative to the growth of jobs and the economy, but it also does not put the surrounding environment in danger.

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.

“Fracking” isn’t a word that most people are familiar with unless they are well informed or active in local government or natural gas extraction. “Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves extracting natural gas from shale formations underground” (Collier, Galatas, Harrelson-Stephens, 2008). During the process known as fracking, millions of gallons of water are shot underground into shale formations to help bring the natural gas trapped inside the formations to be released so that it can surface and become available for extraction. This is the technique that is used for traditional fracking methods. Although fracking increases the states natural gas production, it also carries some negative side effects that are affecting the state and its people.

Over the past decade oil and gas producers have increasingly used hydraulic fracturing also known as fracking to extract oil and gas from the earth. Most people believe fracking is a new process but it has been around for over 100 years. Modern day fracking began in the 1990’s when George P Mitchell created a new technique by combining fracking with horizontal drilling. Since then, U.S. oil and gas production has skyrocketed. But the “new” perception of fracking leads people to incorrectly believe that fracking is temporary and that it somehow harms the environment. The truth is fracking is a reasonable energy solution if oversight and safeguards are used. In the last ten years fracking has improved conditions in the U.S. in three

Each film presented ways to demonstrate how fracking has affected people in their daily routine. Fracking is defined as a way for engineers to pump water into the ground to then release natural gas.After this water is created, it is known as produced water which then has a possibility to pollute surrounding areas. (McAleer, 2013) Although both FrackNation and Gasland show people in their hometowns, FrackNation by Phelim McAleer is able to create an unyielding argument by using logos.

Fracking is a major issue in our world right now, and yet it is still being done. Not everyone knows what fracking is, so let me explain. “Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand, and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out of the head of the well” (Shukman, David (2015), “What is fracking and why is it controversial?” http://www.bbc.com). There are tons of resources being put into fracking that is actually causing problems of its own. “Each gas well requires an average of 400 tanker trucks to carry water and supplies to and from the site” (N/A (2015),”Dangers of fracking”.

The documentary "Gasland" by Josh Fox is about hydraulic fracturing, a controversial method, because of the dangers that come with it. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a technique of extracting natural gas by fracturing the rock with pressurized liquid. Throughout the duration of the documentary, the film uses logos, pathos, and ethos to help build upon the argument but still lacks in some areas to fully enhance the argument.

Introduction: In the kind of world we live in today, we are in dire need of oil. Our cars need oil, our buses need it, our planes and machines. Oil and gas production are very important in order for the many tasks we do day to day and we have become dependent on it. Fracking is a process that uses high pressure water and other chemicals to gather oil under the ground. Although fracking is a fantastic way to gather oil, there have been several problems that have been occurring. In Texas many jobs and drilling locations are appearing because of the high demand for oil. Fracking is a very good way to gather natural gas however, it is causing a lot of problems for society and the environment in Texas.

The mantra of the gas industry is there has never been a proven instance of well water contamination caused by the fracking process, which so far remains true. Most of the problems documented in "Gasland" including in Dimock resulted from the drilling, not the fracking procedure. But that does not mean fracking fluids pose no threat to our water supplies. They contain some chemicals that are harmful even in very tiny amounts. The fluid that comes back up out of the ground is saturated with salts, is sometimes radioactive and often contains harmful heavy metals like arsenic. Carl Kirby, a geologist at Bucknell who does not appear in the film, says the prospect of fracking fluids migrating up through thousands of feet of rock to contaminate water wells is “unlikely but not impossible.”The history of what’s gone wrong thus far in Pennsylvania suggests accident and human error pose as much risk as the fracking process, an angle Fox does not explore. Several weeks ago, a truck full of fracking brine overturned at an intersection about eight miles from my family home. The spill was contained by local volunteer firemen, county emergency responders and the drilling company, and it did not contaminate the small

In “Fracking” authors Michael D. Holloway and Oliver Rudd cover the technology and methods of hydraulic fracturing while explaining the consequences it has on our health, agriculture, and the planet. The two set out to expose the truths and fallacies regarding impacts of the controversial topic. Throughout the book excerpt, the authors reiterate their goal of not making false claims; “the goal is to educate and share insight.” The authors work to relieve the public of common hydraulic fracking related misconceptions brought on by the media. While the majority of citizens opposed to fracking report contamination to their water source and air, the authors’ collected studies reveal that these problems are not unique to fracking; they occur whenever

This article tries to advocate fracking by giving insights on how safe fracking is for the environment. To begin with, a brief description is given as to how fracking is done to extract natural gas. Views of Manhattan Institute senior fellow Robert Bryce which compare the CO2 emissions in 2002 and 2012 show a drop of 8% due to surge in shale gas production, which reduced coal usage. Water usage and other resources like land and habitat protection for wild animals has been presented in the article to highlight how fracking is much environment friendly compared to other energy sources, even wind and solar.

In December 2011, the federal Environmental Protection Agency concluded that fracking operations could be responsible for groundwater pollution.“Today’s methods make gas drilling a filthy business. You know it’s bad when nearby residents can light the water coming out of their tap on fire,” says Larry Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation. What’s causing the fire is the methane from the drilling operations. A ProPublica investigation in 2009 revealed methane contamination was widespread in drinking water in areas around fracking operations in Colorado, Texas, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania. The presence of methane in drinking water in Dimock, Pa., had become the focal point for Josh Fox’s investigative documentary, Gasland, which received an Academy Award nomination in 2011 for Outstanding Documentary; Fox also received an Emmy for non-fiction directing. Fox’s interest in fracking intensified when a natural gas company offered $100,000 for mineral rights on property his family owned in Milanville, in the extreme northeast part of Pennsylvania, about 60 miles east of Dimock.

Wenonah Hauter who campaigned against the electricity free trade in the 1990’s, contends that the hurry to fracking causes a serious threat to the environment and is hazardous to the future of human health. Frackopoly shows the historical beginning of Fracking and the new advancement of technologies that made this procedure feasible. The book also explores the toxins that are exposed to the different water sources that surround these oil fields, and also “sacrifice zones” the release of dangerous solar radiation from “ deep inside shale depositions”. Frackopoly also investigates the interesting means that have supported fracking like; leading environmental groups, and examines the commercial advantage of companies. This book gives a new outlook