Environmental Concerns Of Oil And Gas Exploration, Drilling And Extraction

Environmentalists are one the biggest critics against the notion of increasing domestic oil drilling. By increasing the amount of drilling we do in the United States, we increase the risk of disasters like the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Disasters are hardly the only source of economic damage either, to find oil reserves under the ocean, seismic waves are generated into the ground. These waves bounce off the ground back up to the ship, where computers and scientist can use the results to make educated guesses on whether or not oil is located under the surface. These seismic waves can wreak havoc with marine animals like whales; where in one case over 100 whales beached themselves to get away from the painful experience (Nixon). Using seismic waves does not even guarantee that oil might be located underneath the surface, the only way to tell is to actually drill into the potential finds causing even more destruction for what might be for no gain. Once oil is found and drilling has begun, the amount of damage done to the environment can become unimaginable. The recent example is that of the Deepwater

Offshore drilling has become an essential part of today’s oil production and demand for energy. With the growth of population comes the increasing demand for oil. The oil industry today, is one of the most used providers of energy. Today in the 20th century the majority of the population in America has a car and cars needs gas to run. The oil reserves in the earth that are easily accessible via land are starting to run dry and are becoming harder to find. This is why we have begun to see more and more offshore oil drills. Although there are benefits of offshore drilling such as profit, lower gas prices, and becoming less dependent on foreign oil. There are also many drawbacks in which if something were to go wrong, the mistake would be catastrophic impacting the environment, the nature, and have trickling effects all around the world.

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.

A relatively new process for extracting desired shale oil from the bowels of the earth seems to be shaking things up around operation sites. Environmentalists and oil tycoons have been debating for years over the safety of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, since areas with a high concentration of fracking operations have been affected by several environmental problems. Though many scientists argue that correlation does not necessarily mean causation, the media and many environmentalists use these environmental problems around fracking sites as proof of the long term damage fracking causes. Although it has domesticated the oil industry and reduced usage of coal as a fuel source, fracking is undoubtedly related to many detrimental environmental impacts, such as water table pollution and increased seismic activity.

Americans have been drilling for oil for more than half of their existence. Before the 1850’s oil was of little use and had no market for commerce as there was not one overwhelming use for it. Until around the 1850’s, when technology advanced, with it sparking search for one of the most sought after natural resources that countries would later go to war over, petroleum oil. Early inventions like the kerosene lamp provided a new stable home necessity to live by, increasing the demand for crude oil. This would be met in part by Colonel Edwin Drake, who drilled the first successful oil well in 1858. While Drake’s invention for extracting crude oil from the ground would bring about a new era for industrialization, his “black gold” would bring about an even larger effect, the environmental disasters caused by man. For over one hundred and fifty years of drilling for oil, both on shore and offshore, has led to some of the worst catastrophes to both nature and mankind. While many of these catastrophes have led to the deaths of hundreds of crew members, they have also led to long lasting effects on the environment, local and national economies, legislation, regulations, and human morale. These following effects can be seen in the most recent and most contaminated marine oil spill in history. To the media and public it’s known as the British Petroleum offshore drilling oil spill in 2010.

There has been a recent push to develop unconventional ways to obtain fossil fuels, particularly oil and gas in the United States and as well as over seas. Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” has come into play recently and there is much controversy over the developed methods of obtaining oil and gas. Supporters for fracking have claimed that the new technology will spark an economic growth with jobs, as well as an alternative energy source, but there are also risks that go into fracking, which citizens of the surrounding areas are opposed because fracking can have long lasting and hazardous effects not only on the environment, but on the people in the surrounding community.

Imagine not being able to use the water that comes out of your kitchen faucet. At first you think it is cool that you can light your house water on fire but then become saddened when you realize no one will buy a house on contaminated land. Showers, swimming in pools, brushing your teeth have all become dangerous health risks. Families are getting sick more often and no one knows why. The citizens began to research what was going on in the area they lived in and soon learned that oil companies were using a process called hydraulic fracturing to extract oil out of the ground at nearby farms. This practice is a very controversial in the drilling community because it has longer lasting effects and it poses a greater risk to the people who surround the well site.

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.

Oil fracking may seem to be a harmless uprising invention to the standard peer. However, when looking into the concerns and damaging effects from oil fracking, this invention may be more of an issue rather than a solution to retrieving oil. Scientists and researchers began to discover that oil fracking could lead to the release of dangerous chemicals that can be threatening to human life and the environment. CEO’s are also not providing sufficient information and warnings surrounding the oil fracking industry. Articles by Thompson, Perez-Pena, Christopherson, and Gerken, all express the concerns and supporting evidence of the damaging effects caused by oil fracking. Ultimately, fracking is a dangerous method to getting oil because the chemicals

Fourthly, fracking creates real environmental concerns (Lieberman, 2016). Fracking is a process that unearths large amounts of oil and natural gas. “During fracking, a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals are injected into a well at high pressures, fracturing rock far beneath the surface and releasing the gas trapped inside. The gas then flows up toward the surface and out of the head of a well.” One of the causes of concern are due to the huge amounts of water used in the process, which must usually be transported to remote locations. The chemicals used in the process create another area of concern as they could potentially contaminate underground water supplies. To make matters worse, “the fossil fuel industry has been reluctant to

Your business of hydraulic fracturing or fracking for shale gas and oil was trumpeted as a boon to the ailing US economy. It provided an opportunity of potentially ending dependence on fossil fuels imports and bringing revenue to poor rural counties. But as the business has become widespread, concerns have begun to mount that fracking will exacerbate climate change, threaten public health, and degrade vital resources. Touted as a job generator in your sector, it essentially leads to overall job losses, and altering the landscape as it progresses. In assessing the impact of shale gas and oil development, you should consider the full cost of such activity – to the economy, environment and public health for which your company can and will be

For American society to make educated and responsible decisions about the environment and potential health risks, science is required. Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, and Branscomb (2014) declare that scientific data that is independent, credible, and well-timed must be available to societies and have a significant role in informing decisions (p. 75). For example, hydraulic fracking involves numerous risks that are similar and dissimilar from conventional oil and gas production. Additional risks from conventional oil and gas manufacturing include the following: “the volume, composition, use, and disposal of water, sand, and chemicals in the hydraulic fracturing process; the size of well pads; and the scale of fracking-related development” (Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, & Branscomb, 2014, pp. 75-77). Further, the increase in hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling has expanded into more populated regions of the country (Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, & Branscomb, 2014, p. 77). Such factors contribute to the rapid social disruption as well as damage the environment, especially in areas not previously endangered to the oil and gas industry (Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, & Branscomb, 2014, p. 77).

Angela Warner mentions that the current methods of retrieval are resulting in many negative consequences such as “diesel emissions from trucks, emissions associated with extraction and processing, contaminated water, risk perception of affected communities, and concerns about impacts on mental health.” (Warner, 2015) Warner's article also elaborates on the health problem’s cause from methods of energy production such a fracking. Health issues have vary all around the world in Africa, Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, Russia, and South America. These health issues range from “upper respiratory tract ailments, burning eyes, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, and nosebleeds” (Warner). Other say that these effects could be proven by experimenting on some of the wildlife in the areas near fracking sites. The environmental backlash has cause concern in many individuals, Michelle Bamberger’s thesis “Impacts of gas drilling on Human and Animal Health” states, “Because animals often are exposed continually to air, soil, and groundwater and have more frequent reproductive cycles, animals can be used as sentinels to monitor impacts to human health. This study involved interviews with animal owners who live near gas drilling operations. The findings illustrate which aspects of the drilling process may lead to health

As there started, the massive expansion of gas drilling, the potential troubling discoveries associated with its byproducts are increasingly alarming. For instance, the wastewater created by the process is radioactive. Claiming that the information is proprietary, drilling companies have still not come out fully transparent in disclosing what exactly are fracking fluids made of and still a lot of ambiguity in its compositions and their detrimental effects, remain. But the most vital of all controversies that remains is, fracking is simply distracting energy firms and governments from investing in renewable sources of energy, and encouraging continued reliance on fossil fuels. Thus, there remains a long list of heated controversies and discussions around fracking and its sustainability

Since the past few decades, owning a car has become a necessity in order to commute from one place to another. However, cars do not work automatically, they require fuel. Since the past decade, the petroleum industry has become one of the leading industries impacting the nation’s economy. Oil has become an essential commodity as it is utilized in transportation vehicles, serves as a raw material for manufacturing plastics, and is utilized in homes for cooking. America’s economy is greatly dependent on petroleum as it is the “black gold” of the nation. The considerable significance of oil has led to the drilling of it, which is not only limited to land, but also the oceans. Offshore drilling is a method in which petroleum is extracted from underneath the seabed. It is one of the significant technological advancements in the past few decades. However, the ones who are involved in the process of offshore oil production are humans, and humans tend to make mistakes. In 1969, due to a human error, an oil spill occurred and natural gas, oil, and mud shot up the well and oozed into the ocean (“Offshore Drilling”). The oil spilled led to an environmental disaster which killed thousands of marine animals and distorted the environment. In order to prevent the same error, the government passed a moratorium in 1981, banning more than 85 percent of the country’s oil drilling sites (“Offshore Drilling”). The moratorium restricted the United States to mass-produce its natural resource.