Fracking Should Not Be Banned

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.

Fracking is a pressurized, chemically treated mixture of water and sand used to release and extract natural gas and petroleum from shale rock. The process involves a well drilled vertically to the desired depth, then turns ninety degrees and continues horizontally for thousands of feet into the shale believed to contain the trapped natural gas. A mix of water, sand, and various chemicals are pumped into the well at high pressure in order to create fissures in the shale through which the gas can escape. Natural gas escapes through the fissures and is drawn back up the well to the surface, where it is processed, refined, and shipped to market. Flowback returns to the surface after the fracking process is completed (Fracking: The Process 1). Environmentalist want the technique of fracking banned because it plays a part in global warming, affects our water, and causes human health problems. If fracking cannot be banned because of its necessity, then it should be made safe and eco-friendly.

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.

“In addition to carbon pollution, fracking exploits massive amounts of methane pollution, which drive global climate change. Methane warms the climate approximately 80 times more than the equivalent of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.” This is a big problem which needs to

In the process of fracking, the first step is to drill a hole deep into the earth vertically and then to drill horizontally and put in a steel pipe. According to EnergyFromShale.org, water, sand and other chemicals are fed down a thin pipe, or surface casing at high pressure to create cracks in the ground to release any trapped oil. A ton of water is used in this process. EnergyFromshale.com states that almost one-hundred percent of the materials used is water and part sand. According to dangersoffracking.com, one to eight million gallons of water are used for just one fracture per day. It is also stated that forty thousand gallons of chemicals are used to help the flow of the water. That is an immense amount of materials

Unfortunately, many people are unaware what fracking is and the effects it has on the Earth. As Gasland describes fracking, it is a process done to obtain natural gas. It is done by blasting water and various chemicals into the ground (Gasland). The actual definition of fracking is the process of obtaining gas, oil, coal, or any other kind of gas by fracturing bedrock. The fracturing of bedrock can be done a few different ways such as: “seismic imaging, horizontal drilling, and hydraulic fracturing” (Friedman 537). When fracking

Texas the great lone star state, full of natural beauty that ranges from the majestic big bend national park in the Brewster County on the refreshing shores of the South Padre Island, Texas owns a plentiful quantity of natural resources, nevertheless the process of hydraulic fracturing commonly known as “fracking” taking place in Texas, will destroy our natural resources, turning our vast land of splendor into a methane ridden wasteland. However this is the time to unite against these companies that value money over sustainability. In the first place, fracking consist on drilling using a pressurized water, sand, plus a mix of chemicals to release gas from the rocks beneath the earth, this usually happens at 10,000 feet of depth, although this

The energy sector has seen a dramatic change over the past decade. Exploring other sources of energy has become common in the United States. An increase in unconventional sources of energy, including hydraulic fracturing, has surged a debate that has impacted state as well as local governments. With an increase in production, arguments have emerged that both oppose and approve of new practices. However, local government has lost its autonomy when dealing with such topics, especially in Colorado. Looking at the many concerns from the citizens of communities affected by fracking, it is clear that the state should allow cities the right to ban practices that they are concerned for and need time to evaluate.

Fracking in the U.S. is affecting the environment and can affect us in the future, but it isn’t causing earthquakes. Fracking is used in the U.S. so it could affect us in the future. Fracking has no way that is could cause earthquakes. Fracking should be banned because of the problems it may cause for residents near the sites of fracking and what it could do to ut water supply.

The crisis for obtaining fossil fuels such as oil and natural gases is at an all-time high. With the limited amounts and struggles of obtaining these needed natural resources for everyday use we find ourselves trying new technological advancements to extract these fossil fuels out of the ground. One way of doing so is through the use of fracking. Fracking is the extraction of natural gasses from shell rock deep beneath the earth’s surface. With the new scientific technological advancements of fracking we can obtain natural gasses in ways that were once un-thought of before. In many ways fracking is beneficial, fracking can provide vast amounts of natural gasses which can be used not only in our everyday lives, but can also be beneficial from an economic stand point as well. However, along with the benefits of fracking there also comes some drawbacks. The use of fracking can contaminate our water sources, and can also cause very large amounts of pollution, causing diseases and death. To get a clearer understanding of what fracking can do we must first learn how fracking works, its benefits for our economy, but also its drawbacks on the environment, and draw a conclusion on whether or not fracking is overall more beneficial or harmful.

Water is one of our important resources that were given to us by mother nature. We see water as a source for survival and many more advantages. It's fragile, and the smallest amount of contaminants could ruin it for a population, yet one of the major ingredients in fracking processes is the water. Reports of accidents involving water contamination are everywhere. The basic process of

Fracking refers to the process of drilling into the earth, which is commonly referred to as hydraulic fracturing. This injection of water, sand, and chemicals especially in shale deposits releases oil or gas that has been trapped for many years that was initiated many years ago for the purpose of oil and gas extraction from the earth (Anderson and Bosselmann, 2013). The process can be carried out both vertically or horizontally such that it creates new pathways or extend already existing ones. The process causes a lot of controversy and at the same time, it acts as a potential key that will someday in the future unlock greater sources of energy (Bamberger and Oswald, 2014). This research therefore seeks to look at the positive aspects of the

Hydraulic fracturing, also referred to as fracking, remains a very controversial issue in the world today. Fracking, a widely debated technological innovation, involves drilling deep down into the Earth’s surface to obtain natural gas (Shuckman 1). Natural gas, a flammable substance produced deep within the Earth’s surface and exploited as fuel, is obtained by pumping water, sand and chemicals into open passages, which allows the natural gases to move into production wells (Shuckman 1). Hydraulic fracturing enables necessities such as heating, cooking and electricity for Americans; however, oppositionists claim that it harms the environment and the United State’s residents.

Did you know, that in the 35,000 wells fracked around U.S., all of them use a combined total of anywhere from 70 - 140 billion gallons of water annually. Fracking is using up our precise, limited source of water and should be banned immediately.

A woman stood at the doorway and watched until the shiny car pulled away out of sight. She turned around and returned to her seat at the table. She stared at the empty space where the contract had been and replayed the deal the man had presented to her. The oil company was ready to give $2,500 an acre plus 15 percent royalty in exchange for the rights to frack on her land. She had heard stories of people becoming rich from fracking and about how the oil industry saved towns like her’s. The deal sounded too good to be true; simply allow the workers to drill a few holes and be on their way, and she would be richer. It was described as a chain of events with minimal consequences. The woman, however, had done her research. She knew the horrors this could bring to her community. She didn’t regret turning the deal down and sending the man away. She had rehearsed what she would say the day the man in the shiny car inevitably knocked on her door. While the oil company wanted to present fracking as a get-rich-quick scheme with few ramifications, her decision ultimately resulted from her loyalty to the greater good of her community outweighing her own personal motives.