Gasland Hydraulic Fracturing

Imbued with continuous fabrications, Gasland by Josh Fox is a less reliable argument on hydraulic fracking compared to FrackNation by Phelim McAleer. Hydraulic fracturing, is a technique used by the oil and gas industry to extract natural gas from rock thousands of feet underground. The process includes pumping millions of gallons of water, sand and toxic chemicals underground. Gasland is filled with multiple concerns and warnings of the breakdown of the chemicals causing harm to our environment. Josh Fox relies heavily on repetition of facts in his film by giving statements and no information to back them up. In Gasland pathos is used frequently to catch the audiences soft spot, making them feel guilty about what fracking is doing to the environment.

Hydraulic fracturing is also known as “fracking” is a technique which involves drilling down, then horizontally as far as 10,000 feet below the surface to release natural gasses stored in the sedimentary rock known as Shale. The channel is then encased with concrete or occasionally steel to allow millions of gallons of water to be injected into the wellbore. Most water used in fracking comes from surface water sources such as rivers, lakes, or other accessible bodies of water nearby. Not only is there water being funneled into the wellbore, but also a mixture of sand and other chemicals. When the high-pressure mixture is injected underground it fractures the Shale around the wellbore and creates fissures. The fissures are then held open with

“Fracking: the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc., so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas”(Google). Ten years ago no one would have thought hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” would have caused such environmental harm; infecting public and private water systems, cutting down national parks, and causing extraneous health problems.

The documentary "Gasland" by Josh Fox is about hydraulic fracturing, a controversial method, because of the dangers that come with it. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a technique of extracting natural gas by fracturing the rock with pressurized liquid. Throughout the duration of the documentary, the film uses logos, pathos, and ethos to help build upon the argument but still lacks in some areas to fully enhance the argument.

No matter what the government does to promote hydraulic fracturing, it is still going to be extremely unappealing to those knowledgeable on the topic. As Lisa Bracken states, “Crap is crap no matter what package you put it in” (GasLand). Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of drilling about a mile into the shale below. Once the shale has been reached, water, sand, and a mixture of over 500 chemicals are injected into the Earth. When the pressure of the Earth hits a certain point, a portion of the injected water flows back up to the surface and the well begins to produce the valuable resource known as natural gas (McElroy and Lu 27). Fracking currently occupies thirty-four states and is quickly expanding. The government is

Hydraulic Fracturing, or “Fracking,” was first developed and implemented in the 1950s under President Truman. The method of energy collection is constantly

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as "Fracking", is drilling into the ground for gas. This process injects over 500 chemicals into the ground which sometimes reaches peoples water supply. When the water becomes polluted it can harm not only humans, but animals. In Gasland ,Josh Fox talks to people about their problems with Fracking and goes in depth about the damage it is doing.

Across the world, protest groups are gaining momentum in the fight against Fracking. Many concerns among the local populations include fears for industrialized landscapes, increased power of multinational enterprises, ground and surface water pollution, food production and general human and environmental health (De Rijke 2013). These are becoming important issues to the general public. The increasing awareness about the dangers of fracking are being told from media sources such as the documentary “Gasland.” The film directed by Josh Fox, about was nominated for an Academy Award 2011. The documentary is famous for showing tap water burst into flames due to methane gas contamination.

Hydraulic fracturing has been used commercially since 1949, and by the 21st century, the number of fracking wells in this country has grown to around 1 million (Thompson 2012). Numerous articles and television spots continue to call fracking a ‘new drilling technique’, creating a narrative that hydraulic fracturing is an emerging industry. In 2006, the New York Times said hydraulic fracturing was invented in the late 1990s, even though the same paper reported on the ‘new technology’ earlier in 1986 (Thompson 2012). This is just one example of how the framing of our language has led to the ‘Lords of Yesterday’ mining laws remaining on the books, regardless of being completely outdated policy when dealing with fracking. As a nation it is

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.

Gasland, an environmental documentary directed by Josh Fox, follows Fox as he explores the inner workings of drilling and fracking, only to discover the shocking reality that plagues those near drilling sites. Aimed at educating the general public about the horrors of fracking, the Gasland movie poster utilizes alluring visuals and words to entice the viewer to inquire more about the film. Through the use of mysterious imagery that conveys a sense of wonder, shocking text that creates feelings of worry and fear, and the use of movie awards to establish credibility, the Gasland movie poster effectively achieves its purpose to gather viewership, and ultimately inform its audience about the drilling industry. The movie poster’s primary area

In December 2011, the federal Environmental Protection Agency concluded that fracking operations could be responsible for groundwater pollution.“Today’s methods make gas drilling a filthy business. You know it’s bad when nearby residents can light the water coming out of their tap on fire,” says Larry Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation. What’s causing the fire is the methane from the drilling operations. A ProPublica investigation in 2009 revealed methane contamination was widespread in drinking water in areas around fracking operations in Colorado, Texas, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania. The presence of methane in drinking water in Dimock, Pa., had become the focal point for Josh Fox’s investigative documentary, Gasland, which received an Academy Award nomination in 2011 for Outstanding Documentary; Fox also received an Emmy for non-fiction directing. Fox’s interest in fracking intensified when a natural gas company offered $100,000 for mineral rights on property his family owned in Milanville, in the extreme northeast part of Pennsylvania, about 60 miles east of Dimock.

“Gasland,” is a film by Josh Fox about the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. America’s natural gas supply is so plentiful, there are trillions of cubic feet of natural gas in the states, almost like an ocean of natural gas. Concerns have been raised about the risks involved in fracking. It is environmental risky and poorly regulated. There are statements that there is more than a hundred thousand incidences of ground water pollution from just six states, that’s not even counting the other 44 states.

Hydrofracking is the process where it involved drilling down into the earth, mixturing a high pressure of water and chemical which then directed into the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock which fracture and allows the gas to flow through the piping to the head of the well. Fracking is placed out vertically but more commonly horizontal, creating

pg. 1) “In a July 19 letter to ten oil and gas producers – including BP, Chesapeake Energy, and ExxonMobil – the lawmakers requested information on the companies’ hydraulic fracturing operations and on possible human impacts. According to a subcommittee staff memo, the hydraulic fracturing companies ‘do not track whether the wells they fracture are located in underground sources of drinking water (Hobson Penn.).”