Fracking And The Environment : Fracking

Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is the process that extracts oil and natural gas from under the ground. Today, it is a controversial issue that requires a lot of attention. It is a very important topic that has both its positives and its negatives. As Fracking grows and expands, people should start to consider the advantages and disadvantages of fracking and what it really means.

So what is fracking? Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has played an important role in the development of America's oil and natural gas resources for nearly 60 years. In the U.S., an estimated 35,000 wells are processed with the hydraulic fracturing method; it’s estimated that over one million wells have been hydraulically fractured since the first well in the late 1940s. (www.energyfromshale.org )

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method in which a high pressured water, sand, and chemical mix is injected into a well in order to fracture rock leading to the releases of gas or oil to the surface, see Figure 1 for illustration. Fracking was invented in the 1940s but has only become economical in the past few decades due to advancements in technology. The top fracking regions in the

Overview: Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release oil and natural gas trapped there. The name fracking refers to how the rock is fractured apart by the high-pressure mixture. The process can be performed vertically, but most commonly it is carried out by drilling the rock layer horizontally. Fracking has become an energy revolution in the United States as most energy experts thought that domestic energy supplies in the United States were declining. With advances in fracking, US natural gas production has climbed by as much as 25 percent in recent years.

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

Fracking is a controversial topic of discussion for a majority of people. Fracking is also known as hydraulic fracturing which is a method of extracting natural gas stored in shale rock. It involves forcing rock to fracture by pumping millions of liters of water and chemicals at extremely high pressure into the ground. The technique of fracking has been known since the 1940’s. Prices of natural gas and other fuels are rising steadily. Fracking has been used more than a million times in the USA alone.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fracking, or Hydraulic Fracturing is a method used to extract underground resources including oil, natural gas, and geothermal energy by injecting high pressure fluid into a geologic formation containing oil or natural gas deposits. The high pressure fluid opens up existing fractures and creates new fracture systems that allow the resources that were once trapped to move more freely into a production well for further extraction.

Hydraulic fracturing, which is commonly referred to as Fracking, is a term used in the Oil and Gas Industry and describes a technique which is used to extract oil and gas from deep underground. This method involves a mixture of high-pressured water, sand and chemicals that are injected into the shale rock below the earth’s surface, which then releases the gases that are trapped underground.

As Americans search for alternatives to purchasing oil and gas from overseas, the increase of fracking to extract compressed natural gas has risen dramatically. Remarkably, the public can only access limited research from independent scientists who list both the negative and the positive effects fracking is having on the environment and citizens’ health (Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, & Branscomb, 2014, p. 75). Moreover, the American public and their elected officials are denied the chance to make informed choices about this undertaking because a fuller analysis is needed (Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, & Branscomb, 2014, p. 75). Some argue that the lack of comprehensive regulations of unconventional oil and gas development at the federal

Fracking or “hydraulic fracturing”, is a method used for acquiring oil and natural gas in tight compact geological formations. These natural gases are known as shale gas or tight gas. In the fracking process a well is drilled vertically to

Fracking presents many benefits to the energy industry. The first benefit is that fracking provides an effective energy resource that is accessible today. The use of natural gas from fracking has displaced the use of coal as an energy source. Coal was the source of approximately 50% of the electricity production in the United States in 2008. By 2012, it was down to 37% (Wihbey, 2015). During that time, natural gas production rose, and the amount that came from fracking increased dramatically. In 2000, fracking provided 1% of the nation’s natural gas. By 2012, fracking produced over 30% of the natural gas for the United States, with that number expected to rise to about 50% by 2035 (McGlynn, 2011). With the development of hydraulic fracturing

While fracking may be harmful to the environment they may also have some beneficial pros toward our economy, such as lower gas prices. However you look at it, burning natural gas is more clean and efficient than other crude energy sources, such as coal. The natural gas industry has seen tremendous growth over the years because it was cheaper and more clean than coal. Natural gas is also easier to store compared to coal because of one feature; it is a gas. Gasses can be compressed unlike solids such as coal, to put into example if you had a truck load of coal and a truck load of compressed natural gas, the natural gas would last longer because there is more of it because it was compressed. While coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in the

Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" as it’s commonly called, is a drilling technique utilized for extracting natural gas or oil within deep underground. The process generally combines hazardous chemicals with abundant amounts of water at high rates of pressure into rock formations to crack nearby material to extract gas and oil. Prompted environmental concerns have arose due to the substantial use of fracking in the US, which has modernized the energy industry. Although hydraulic fracturing can be beneficial, it is harmful to our planet because of the gases and chemicals it releases that causes contamination of water, air pollution, and hazards to communities and its people health.

Fracking, or high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing, is the process by which natural gas and oil is extracted from deep underground rock. A mixture of chemicals, water and sand is forced against the rock with such high pressure that it fractures the formations of rock, releasing trapped bubbles of natural gas and oil. In many places in the U.S. including California, are using alternative forms of safe power. In many places it is believed natural gas and oil is a good source of energy, but the process of fracking does not spare expense, water, or the well being of the environment.

I will be speaking to you about hydraulic fracturing, or as it is more commonly referred to, fracking. Hydraulic fracturing is a process that involves stimulating shale deposits within the earths crust with high pressures to facilitate the release of natural gas. North America and specifically the United States contain the largest known shale/natural gas fields in the entire world and it is only in the past few decades that the industry has grown significantly, and quickly. This rapid growth to the industry has resulted in a tremendous number of new wells and a tremendous amount of investment interest. Along with this growth as come a host of other concerns and problems and that is why fracking is a topic of debate today. My intention is not to push anyone to make up their mind about this subject, but is to provide you with basic knowledge that will help you understand the subject so you will be informed if and whenever you develop an opinion on the subject.