Fracking: How It Affects The Environment?
Concerns with the environment have recently been front and center in the United States. Especially with the pending presidential election, many environmental issues are at the forefront of countless conversations. There is a consensus between parties that domestic energy production must continue to increase, but there are conflicting opinions as to where that energy production should come from. Should we use non-renewable resources or invest in new and innovative renewable energy sources? Our dependency on foreign oil puts the U.S. in a very vulnerable position on both the political and economical fronts. Countless studies have been conducted supporting both arguments. While our environment is a major consideration for determining which sources to utilize, the economic implications must also be weighed. Renewable energy sources could last indefinitely, but will need to be repaired and/or replaced at some point. One alternative to renewable energy is a practice called “Fracking”. Fracking is slang for hydraulic fracturing. It is commonly described as a technique used to release petroleum, natural gas (including shale gas, tight gas and coal seam gas), or other substances for extraction (Philippe Charlez, 1997).
When determining how our country will produce fuels, many factors should be considered. If fracking is the way to go, we must first we ensure we know exactly what it is. Fracking refers to the procedure of creating
We are currently in the second decade of this twenty-first century, and the United States has discovered a new type of energy. It is affordable, it burns somewhat cleaner than the other fossil fuels, and there’s so much of it that it could possibly last us over one-hundred years. Only a decade earlier, just the smallest sliver of the United States citizens had ever heard of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Presently, it is easily one of the most explosive environmental topics alight. Previously, wells that were built for this type of shale gas extraction have quickly spread through various areas of the country. This expansion, many argue, outpaces the science available to fully understand its potential impacts. Whether or not fracking is allowed to continue spreading without vast harm to the environment is one of the many questions researchers
Energy is a hot topic in the United States both in the private sector as well as the political arena. Debates over the most cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly energy happen in many US homes as well as on Capitol Hill. Two energy sources that have been debated recently are solar power and fracking of natural gas wells. Solar power is created by converting the heat from the sun’s rays into electricity, most commonly, by using solar panels. Over the years, since solar power panels have become available for home and business purchase, the cost has decreased, therefore making it more accessible to a larger population. Although fracking is not a new process, it has received
In the article, “The truth about fracking,” Chris Mooney analyzes the effects of fracking by big companies looking to extract natural gas. Fracking is done by drilling deep underground, even 5000 feet at times, and shooting high pressure water loaded with chemicals to extract gases that serve as energy. The U.S. has been fracking for about 65 years and there is enough gas in U.S. soil to last many decades to come but there are many setbacks.
Fracking has brought the world’s energy supply from a crisis level to a stable supply that supports global energy demands. As energy prices rose and the energy supply slowly decreased, experts began to
Fracking has actually changed out future as we know it, and has made it possible for many things. Fracking will make the world run on natural fossil fuels for much longer, which is also better for the environment and us. In 2015, the U.S. reached its all time high in oil production in 14 years and is only expected to continually rise. Oil production in the U.S. is one of the main sources of jobs for people living in the U.S. (Nunez, 2013). Fracking is a good way to employ U.S. citizens and is also a good way to get natural ways of oil production. As we all
The transition of power that is currently happening in American politics has brought an air of uncertainty, especially with regard to the environment. Specifically, an issue that has recently gained attention has been hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. In simple terms, fracking is a procedure where the ground is drilled with water and chemicals in order to obtain natural gas or oil. Fracking is the most important public health issue at this time because the change in power is bound to create more leniency on big business, especially those involved with gas and oil (Garber, 2017). The procedure has been controversial because on one end, people argue that fracking will make the United States energy self-dependent, will create jobs, and will be
For some of us the innovative method of hydraulic fracturing in the energy sector is a dream come true. To others, it is a nightmare. Often the word ‘fracking’ itself raises a lot of concerns, protests, and controversies. Environmentalists and the general public who are not aware of the facts and statistics about fracking, what’s called the bigger picture, often tend to think that fracking is a major concern and its impact on environment and in the sector of public health is disturbing. While it is the responsibility of the citizens to analyze and understand the reality of fracking, it is also the duty of the government to provide exact facts and figures so that it
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
Worries with the earth have been up front in the United States. Particularly during the presidential race, numerous natural issues are at the bleeding edge of endless discussions. There is an accord between gatherings that residential vitality creation must keep on expanding, yet there are clashing assessments as to where that vitality generation ought to originate from. Should we utilize non-renewable assets or put resources into new and imaginative renewable vitality sources? Our reliance on outside oil puts the U.S. in an exceptionally powerless position on both the political and sparing fronts. Incalculable studies have been led supporting both contentions. While our surroundings is a noteworthy thought for figuring out which sources to use, the monetary ramifications should likewise be weighed. Renewable vitality sources could last uncertainly, however should be repaired and/or supplanted sooner or later. One distinct option for renewable vitality is a practice called "Fracking". Fracking is slang for pressure driven breaking. It is regularly depicted as a strategy used to discharge petroleum, characteristic gas (counting shale gas, tight gas and coal crease gas), or different substances for extraction (Philippe Charlez, 1997).
“Fracking ensures that the age of oil-and it 's princely hydrocarbon cousin, the natural gas molecule-will not end because we have run out of fossil fuels. But it may end because burning these wonderful fuels puts the planet farther down a path we don 't want to head down”. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a petroleum mining method to reach remote gas under water that is located in the crust of the earth. Fracking uses a blend of water, sand, and chemicals. Hydraulic Fracturing, “has contributed to a resurgence of oil production in the USA and a dramatic increase in natural gas production” (Hassett). It is speculated to grow and eventually become fifty percent of the natural gas used in our lives today. It is understood that transferring to the use of these natural gasses would be better for the dwindling supply of oil but people are looking over the repercussions of a more common and more frequent fracking. Much of the effects are unknown due to the short past of major fracking in the United States. From the minor, in comparison to the future plans, fracking in places such as Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Texas, Kansas Mississippi, and many others have dozens of incidents. Incidents that range from poisoned drinking water, industrial disasters, explosions, polluted air, and mysterious animal deaths. Fracking is something that if grown can cause disasters of monumental scales. The temporary benefits do not outweigh the costs that people and the
Fracking is considered by many business oriented people as the way to enhance our fossil fuel reserves that currently are needed within the United States. While there are many people that take either side of this heated debate, the scientific data is just beginning to come in and the perils that are culminating from using this form of extraction are becoming a problem for many throughout the Kentucky and the U.S.
The bottom line is that the environmental impacts of fracking are a real problem, and to which neither prohibition nor laissez faire seems a sensible solution. Instead, looking towards the mitigation of such impacts using economic tools should be applied to regulate the environmental harms.
The fracking industry in its entirety, although surrounded by a shroud of controversy, is an economic stimulator that many do not acknowledge. The potential replacement of coal for efficient and clean energy would not be possible if it weren’t for the utilization of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, and horizontal drilling. To consider fracking as only a danger to the environment would be an overstatement while saying fracking only provides natural gas and nothing else is an understatement. It’s important to consider all of the potential benefits that fracking gives to the economy and how its minor environmental destruction could lead to an economic reconstruction. Although fracking has a negative connotation with most people,
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.
Anyone who has followed the news in the past few years has seen or heard something about hydro-fracturing or fracking for short. Even though fracking isn't a new technology, recent innovations and techniques have made this process much more cost effective giving gas and oil companies more incentive to implement it on a greater scale. The increased use of fracking to increase production in the oil and gas industries has brought this technology into the news and made it one of the most fiercely debated topics in recent times. Pro-fracking supporters claim that shale gas and the fracking process will be the savior of our nation and provide foreign energy independence for many years to come. The anti-fracking community raises concerns about the environment that will affect not only this generation but also generations to come. I believe that the hydraulic fracking process used to increase the extraction of natural gas and oil is dangerous to the environment and needs additional research and stiffer regulations.