Fracking: A Growing Scientific Controversy

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been a hot topic in recent times due to its controversial ways. Many people argue that it is a way for the United States to become less dependent on foreign oil, while others argue that the environmental cons outweigh the pros of fracking. Fracking is the process of extracting natural gas from underground by drilling into the earth. This is done by injecting water, sand, and chemicals into a bedrock formation by a well (“Hydraulic Fracking”). By doing this, the process creates new fractures in the rock, as well as making previously made fractures bigger and easier to access (“Hydraulic Fracking”). Fracking is mostly done is areas that have low-permeability rocks like tight sandstone, shale, and some coal beds to increase the flow of oil and/or gas to a well (“Hydraulic Fracking”). The fracking process can take up to a month; the drilling team going more than a mile into the earth to extract the natural gases or oil. After the job is done, the well is cemented up (“What is Fracking”).

Even though I would need to do more research to have a more coherent opinion, I believe that fracking should not be practiced in the United States. My opinion is heavily based on the fact that fracking is still such a new discovery and that safe methods have not been identified. Thus, too many people are at risk for being exposed to contaminated drinking water (Jackson, 2014). The methane contamination of the drinking water is very concerning because it is very flammable, which can be incredibly dangerous to the citizens in the affected area (Hoffman, 2016). Thirdly, the amount of pollutants that are released into the atmosphere is not safe for people to inhale. Both children and adults have been exposed to these pollutants, which have had severely negative effects. Lung disease is just one of the major negative health effects of fracking. Cancer and birth defects in infants are other incredibly disabling diseases that affect people in proximity to these wells (Kiely, 2016). Another issue that I find disturbing about the process of fracking is that the waste water wells are disposing of the chemical waste deep into the Earth’s crust. However, some of this chemical waste is disposed of in landfills, which, in turn, pollutes the groundwater (StateImpact, 2017). Overall, I find the process of fracking

The dictionary states that fracking is a method used for getting oil and gas from underground rocks by injecting liquid into the rocks so that they can break apart (Merriam-Webster). Fracking can be a controversial topic in numerous people’s eyes due to the side effects that coincide with this procedure. Fracking has evolved over the years and made a comeback around 2010. Lately, the United States has heard tremendous news regarding this procedure and the drawbacks from fracking natural gases and oil. Fracking can be beneficial; sadly, the side effects greatly outweigh the benefits. The environmental risks, pollution, and the overall risk factors prove to not worth the risk of fracking.

Hydraulic Fracking is the act of shooting or drilling chemicals and liquids into the ground at a high speed in order to break the rocks and earth below. When you break the rocks, or fracture them, it releases the natural gas that is trapped inside. Fracking is a controversial topic, with benefits seen by some and devastating results seen by others. The state of Texas allows fracking, and it is a technique used all over the state. The Obama administration and the federal government believe that fracking can lead the country away from dependence on fossil fuels and into a new generation of clean energy. However, environmental agencies believe that fracking is just another energy source that is no better for the environment than coal, and leads to contaminated water. Fracking companies do not have to follow the Safe Water Drinking Act of 1974, whose purpose is to protect groundwater for the people.

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 water mixture used to break the shale rock contains sand as well as over 600 different chemicals. The amount of water needed just for one gas well to take place is over eight million gallons. Not only do these natural gas wells use up so much water, the methane gas and chemicals in the water contaminate nearby groundwater, causing the people who drink it to become very ill and suffer serious mental and physical injuries. Most of these companies who are in the business of drilling gas wells do not show what really goes on behind the scenes. The leftover fracturing fluid, which are retrieved after the fracking, is only half of what first went down the well. Not only is this a problem because the chemicals that are left sink further down into the ground but they are also not biodegradable, which could go on to contaminate more

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” for short, is the process of extracting oil or gas from deep beneath the Earth’s surface by pushing water into shale rock to displace the oil or gas (Pritchard, 2013).

fracking as, “Good News for America’s Economy”, however some claim this method is dangerous, environmentally destructive, and unreliable. Fracking exists in 32 states, and the industry is still growing. This method can retrieve gallons of shale gas quickly, unfortunately, it can cause water contamination. Supporters view fracking as an productive way to retrieve natural gases, while opponents view it as a danger, due to of possible health implications. Fracking is a well controlled way to extract natural gases and fossil fuels however ,there are concerns.

Natural gas has been hailed as the solution to the U.S energy problem, but is obtained by the controversial method of fracking. Hydraulic fracking is the process of pumping a mix of water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure to make openings in shale that contain natural gas. The fracking process allows natural gas to be obtained, but at a cost. The use of toxic chemicals can affect the surrounding environment and contaminant water sources. Current regulations have not kept up with the drilling industry. Regulations for fracking should be improved to protect against the use of toxic chemicals, contaminating water sources, and to limit strains on the environment.

Hydraulic fracking has dramatically increased the amount of natural gas and oil production. Fracking allows for twice the production of oil and gas over regular oil rigs. Industry observers predict that by 2020, the United Stated will be the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the world. Currently Saudi Arabia produces about 10 million barrels of crude oil per day, whereas the U.S. produced about 8 million. As of right now it is hard to be completely energy independent from Middle Eastern countries because we as a nation consume more than we are able to produce. It was estimated back in 2009 that we as a nation have consume around 19 million barrels of oil-based fuels per day. As the supply and demand of oil and natural gas increase allows for more job to open up. In 2010, IHS CERA estimated around 600,000 new jobs were created. In 2011 alone, the oil and gas industry profited more than 100 billions dollars (Levi, 2012).

Hydraulic fracturing has become one of the most common ways to extract natural gases, it is used in 9 out 10 gas wells in the United States (what is hydraulic fracturing?). It is also one of the most devastating ways to get it. The Fracking process uses millions of gallons of water sand and up to 600 different chemicals are pumped under ground hundreds of thousands of feet to

Hydraulic fracturing also known as fracking is a process used to release natural gasses from the shale rocks. Shale rock is a type of that is found underneath the earth’s surface. It consists of mud, clay, and other minerals. In order to release these gasses companies must drill up to 10,000 feet into the ground, where high-powered fracking fluid or water mixed with sand and chemicals are put into a metal pipe that is put into place to ensure the stability of the hole that is being drilled. “There are approximately 40,000 gallons of chemicals used per fracturing. There are 600 chemicals used in the fracking fluid, some of which are lead, uranium, mercury,…” On average it takes anywhere from one to eight million gallons of water to complete

In 2000, shale beds where the number one source of America’s constant need for gas. Most of that production increase has come about to the growing need of hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking”, which is a process used to release oil or gas from underground formations that are otherwise too hard to mine with other tools. Over the past few years, advances in fracking technology have made huge reserves of natural gas in America economically recoverable. According to the Energy Information Administration, shale gas plays, or fields, in the United States, most notably the Marcellus, in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New York, and the Barnett, in Texas, are said to contain enough natural gas to give power to the country for a hundred and ten years. With the everlasting specter of energy independence, some have argued that such efforts to recover natural gas need to be expanded. Activists concerned with fracking’s potential environmental hazards view the new process as a serious threat to our environment. There are many different opinions on wether or not fracking is a safe way to gain our gasoline, and to meet the growing demands of gasoline around the world. The process of fracking creates cracks that come from wells into oil and gas formations by pumping highly pressurized fluids, ceramic beads, sand, and a mixture of chemicals, into the gas formation. As this fluid holds the underground fissures open, oil and gas fly up the well to the surface where they are

Each fracking job requires 1 to 8 million gallons of water to complete. When such large amounts of water are required to complete a fracking job, it places undue stress on water supplies especially in areas experiencing drought. Another concern among environmentalists is that contamination of drinking water has the potential to invade groundwater drinking wells near drilling areas, or old oil and gas wells, where the new operations could blow out their seals or create a vertical conduit to upward aquifers or the surface. With the recent rollback of regulation requiring fracking companies to disclose the chemicals they use, there is concern that some companies are possibly using hazardous chemicals. Finally, there is some trepidation that a rise in earthquakes in the United States is because of fracking.

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a process used to remove natural gas from shale buried thousands