Hydraulic Fracking Essay

Hydraulic fracking purportedly has been considered important to our nation’s expansion of natural gas as well as giving rise to our nation’s economy. Globally, the fracking industry has supported and created a large job market and has employed a vast number of unemployed workers. In 2012 alone, the industry created 2.1 million jobs across the United States (1). States such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Colorado, Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Texas have successfully lead the charge within this ever growing business activity. The fracking industry in Arkansas, for example, employed 5.9% of the state’s overall employment of 92,500 jobs. The labor income from the fracking industry is $4.22 billion. Furthermore, the industry successfully supported Arkansas’s public schools during 2012-2013 saving $9.9 million paired with saving 144 teaching positions.

In today's global economy, energy is one of the most crucial and sought after commodities. Who supplies it and how much they supply determines how much influence they have over other countries as well as the global economy. This is why hydraulic fracturing is currently such an important and controversial topic in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as "fracking" or hydrofracturing, is the process of using pressurized liquids to fracture rocks and release hydrocarbons such as shale gas, which burns more efficiently than coal. This booming process of energy production provides a much needed economic boost, creating jobs and providing gas energy for Americans. The efficiently burning shale gas reduces carbon

With the age of constant industrial and technological growth has come the necessity for not only cost effective and efficient methods for industry, but also the need for obtaining fuel for the machines that make the modern world possible. Oil has become as precious a commodity as gold, if not more so; its attainments constantly driving the world's largest businesses and governments across the world into action. Naturally, a "quick-fix" solution to this problem is constantly sought after by oil companies wishing to provide oil on a massive scale. One of these drilling methods is known as induced hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking).

The global crisis surrounding energy needs grows in severity as time goes by and in order to solve it, scientists have created the innovative solution known as hydraulic fracturing (Source 5). Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking,” is a process that injects water, chemicals, sand, and other materials into layers of shale. The injected mixture cracks the layers of shale, releasing trapped natural gasses that can be collected (Source 1). Fracking occurs deep under the surface of the earth, miles below the groundwater that is accessed from drinking-water wells. In the mid-2000s, “fuel prices were rising rapidly” (Source 5). Hydraulic fracturing was a cheap solution that not only brought the world out of a state of emergency but made oil prices drop. The new method of gas collection grew the oil and gas industry, benefiting people all around the world. Fracking is a cheap, effective solution to global needs, but is under attack from skeptics who worry about environmental hazards. The claims against fracking not only have no real evidence but also risk destroying the jobs in the oil and gas industry as well as support for energy needs. Hydraulic fracturing is not only a cheap but a safe method that supports global needs surrounding both energy and jobs.

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.

Hydraulic fracturing synonymous to the term “fracking” is a well-favored procedure that is used to exploit natural gases and oils from depths below the Earth’s surface at which they tend to accumulate. Some people believe fracking is the most efficient way to go about obtaining these much needed resources. Although it is beneficial too much of something is never a good thing. Over time the use of this procedure has grown causing some serious environmental adversities. Fracking contaminates drinking water, causes water stress, gives rise to earthquakes, and degrades the air quality.

Hydraulic fracturing otherwise known as fracking has flooded the market with cheap and reliable natural gas to the exportation and power production markets all while being limited by logistics. Emspak, J. (2014, August 12) shows that natural gas production by fracking has expanded gas production by 32 times the amount in 2008. This lowered the cost 40% over that span of time. The demand for clean cost efficient power production shifted production from coal fired to natural gas plants. From 20015-20017 about nine thousand natural gas power plants were built says the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2017). This correlates to about one half of a million more megawatts of

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is the process of drilling wells thousands of feet below the Earth’s surface to extract natural gas deposits that are trapped in shale layers. Large amounts of a solution containing water, sand, and chemicals are shot down the well to fracture the shale layers, thus releasing the desired product. Natural gas is seen as a potential solution to the energy dilemma that faces the world today. However, the process of fracking and the advantages and disadvantages it poses to the environment are heavily debated. In order to gather a real idea of viability of fracking, all issues must be taken in to account and the subject must be looked at from multiple perspectives.

Hydraulic fracking is a process in which metal pipes are first drilled vertically thousands of feet deep into the ground and then further drilled horizontally in order to maximize the drilling of several wells from one drilling pad. Meaning, there is more efficiency through horizontal drilling because shale which is the horizontal layer where natural gas is found, is found at certain rock layers rather than being abundant randomly. This would defeat the purpose of constantly drilling vertically and waste money and time, therefore, the technique of horizontal drilling is efficient to the extraction process. Furthermore, this method uses millions of gallons of water and chemicals which are injected down a pipe, thus causing the shale rock layer to break. As a result, due to a difference in pressure the natural

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.

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, has been around since the 1940’s. This is the act of injecting fluid into rocks or rock formations underground that will ultimately release natural gasses and oils. In the U.S. there are over 500,000 natural gas wells. On top of the already existing wells, many states across the country are rescinding their ban on fracking. This is one of the more debated topics when it comes to alternative energy. There is a big split on this issue and it is understandable. There are many pros but there are also many cons to come along with it.

Imagine a world less dependent on oil; a world that wars are not started over oil. This is the future the people that support hydraulic fracturing envision. The rapid development of unconventional sources of oil and natural gas using hydraulic fracturing has generated a great deal of controversy. As coal and oil struggle to remain the popular source of fossil fuel, fracking has gained a new spotlight in the war on energy. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as hydrofracking, hydrofracturing or simply, fracking, is the process of extracting natural gas from gas shales. The term gas shales refers to natural gas that is extracted from porous rocks that hold gas. A vertical well is drilled hundreds of feet into the ground, through this well, hydraulically

It has long been known that large amounts of natural gas reside in deep layers of sedimentary rock such as shale. However, this gas could not be extracted until recent years due to previous limitations of technology making it economically unfeasible. This is now possible due to developments in drilling technology that now allow drillers to drill horizontally. Millions of gallons of water and chemicals are then injected at extremely high pressure that fractures the rock surrounding the drill hole, allowing trapped gas to escape. This process is called hydraulic fracturing, but is known colloquially as “fracking.”

A growing concern with meeting future resource demands has made energy a pivotal commodity in today’s global economy. The introduction of; methods that conserve exhaustible resources, as well as, the use of renewable resources, have sought to solve the impending energy crisis. In recent years, one technological advancement that has been beneficial in the search for an alternative a renewable energy source is, Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a method of drilling; which injects fluids; such as water and toxic chemicals; into wells deep underground, to extract oil and gas resources. Fracking allows for the obtainment of oil and natural gas from sources that would be otherwise inaccessible. However, the use of Hydraulic fracturing has been known to have adverse environmental impacts, making it a controversial topic in the United States.

Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing involves the extraction of natural gas from deep below the ground. A shaft is drilled into the ground followed by a horizontal well hole that flows to the gas layer of the earth. The well is divided into smaller sections and these sections are fractured in sections. Fracking fluid (7 million litres of water is used, several thousand tonnes of sand and 200,000 tonnes of chemicals (de Rijke, 2013)) is then pumped into the ground at high velocity. Cracks are produced in the rocks, the sand in the mixture prevents cracks from closing again. The water is then pumped out and natural gas is now easily obtained. (BBC News, 2016). The first well was constructed in 1949 and as a result of a technology