Pros And Cons Of Shale Gas

As the pace of shale gas drilling has accelerated in recent years, so have environmental concerns. Incidents such as a 2007 home explosion in Bainbridge, OH, the 2008 groundwater contamination on Wind River Indian Reservation in Pavilion, WY, and the 2008 chemical poisoning of an emergency room nurse in Durango, CO, have intensified the debate over regulation of fracking.10 As a result, new laws regulating fracking activities have

It’s been over 65 years since fracking first began as a method of extraction by oil and gas companies, but the government has done little to regulate the catastrophic practice. How anyone could consider injecting tens of thousands of gallons of water and chemicals deep into the ground being a good idea is beyond me. Those chemicals include chlorine, acetone, benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, and almost 600 other chemicals that fracking operations won’t even reveal to the public. These chemicals, despite denial by all major natural gas and oil companies that practice fracking, almost always end up in groundwater supplies. I’m sure you’ve seen at least one video online of someone who lives near a fracking site lighting the water coming out of their faucet on fire. Thanks to a ruling in 2005 under the Bush administration, fracking operations are exempt from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean

Last year alone, oil and gas companies put hundreds of millions of gallons of hydraulic fracturing fluids into the earth. Many of these fluids were found to contain harmful chemicals such as carcinogens- substances that directly cause cancer. This is why hydraulic fracking has been the topic of heated debate over the past few years. This process of drilling for natural gas has become increasingly popular over the past decade, and has in turn produced many questions about the safety of its wells and the chemicals that are used in drilling. Under current regulations, hydraulic fracking is permitted to be conducted at drilling sites that are located very close to residential areas. The chemicals used in the drilling process have been leaking out of wells, and have contaminated drinking water for some communities. In addition, it pollutes the air by putting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Concerned about the safety of fracking, cities such as Longmont have shown great opposition to the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA)’s regulations. In fact, Longmont citizens voted to put a ban on fracking within city limits in 2012. This ban has been met with retaliation from COGA, who sued the city because of the ban. If fracking isn’t allowed to be banned by cities that don’t want it, then the regulations need to change in order to make the practice both prosperous and safe for the community.

“A Duke study explains 60 sites in New York and Pennsylvania found explosive levels of natural gas in homes water supply a mile and a half from the drilling”(Stone). In addition to “In December 2011, The U.S. E.P.A. relegated a 121-page report linking the contamination of drinking water wells near the town of Pavillion Wyoming to nearby gas drilling” (Stone). This is becoming a very big problem. Fracking has been widely accepted across the country extremely fast with any regulations. It is time to set down some standards. Flowback is water they suck back out after the fracturing that is where all the chemicals are that they put down there to fracture the shale. When the liquid is sucked back up what do they do with it? They go in holding pits. Holding pits vary from state to state on its own regulations on

Scientists are worried that the chemicals used in fracturing may pose a threat either underground or when waste fluids are handled they are sometimes spilled on the surface which can cause site contamination or find its way back to water clean water. The natural gas industry defends hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as safe and efficient. Thomas J. Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, a pro-industry non-profit organization, claims fracking has been “a widely deployed as safe extraction technique,” dating back to 1949. What Mr. Pyle fails to explain is that until recently energy companies had used low-pressure methods to extract natural gas from fields closer to the surface than the current high-pressure technology that extracts more gas, by digging to deeper levels and it also uses significantly more water, sand and chemicals. There have been serious environmental impacts associated with the process which has raised public concern. At this point, a causal relationship has not been established but increasing attention opens the possibility that further government action could be imminent regarding the practice. According to Baumgartner and

Natural gas has been hailed as the solution to the U.S energy problem, but is obtained by the controversial method of fracking. Hydraulic fracking is the process of pumping a mix of water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure to make openings in shale that contain natural gas. The fracking process allows natural gas to be obtained, but at a cost. The use of toxic chemicals can affect the surrounding environment and contaminant water sources. Current regulations have not kept up with the drilling industry. Regulations for fracking should be improved to protect against the use of toxic chemicals, contaminating water sources, and to limit strains on the environment.

Although oil companies uphold the idea that fracking is a cheaper and efficient, fracking damages the local water, air and soil in the surrounding cities. According to the Science of Total Environment, scientists speculate that wells require up to 5 million gallons of fluid per extraction event, which would require tons of chemicals including benzene, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides to unconventionally bring out the shale gas (Werner et al. 2014). The lengthy list of air pollutants, most of which are combustible, suggests that both human health and the environment are at risk and the surrounding water aquifers located near the horizontal wells could also be damaged. The amount of water needed for extraction also demonstrates the strain the process of fracking has on the environment and local water supply. Similarly, the potency of methane is 20 times worse than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, which is further aggravated by the process of flaring (Weinhold 2012). Thus, flaring and fracking serves not only as a nuisance to the community through the health hazards and water pollution, but can worsen the status of global climate

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.

The shale revolution has provided a new source of natural gas and energy independence for the United States, but it must be carefully regulated to keep our nation’s water supply safe and clean. That’s why I am a firm supporter of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. In Congress, I will diligently work to end the “Halliburton Loophole,” which has dangerously exempted fracking from necessary federal environmental regulation, and I will advance efforts to create stronger regulations by the EPA to ensure that hydraulic fracturing is practiced in a safe and environmentally conscious manner.

While natural gas may be the “cleanest fossil fuel available,” the process of collecting it is not without environmental concern. At the forefront of environmental issues in fracking are the large use of freshwater in wells and the production of large amounts of wastewater. Hunter (2012) points out that as the fracking boom began, “speculators rushed into hydrofracking … with little attention to how much water would be needed or the best practices for managing the water when they were done with the wells.” As mentioned before, in the year 2012 alone, more than 3 billion gallons of fracking water waste were produced in the state of New Mexico. While “conventional gas production generates 65% more wastewater per unit of recovered gas than fracking does” (Schmidt 2013), the use of water by fracking is still of particular to concern to a state like New Mexico

The problems we face as a modern society often puts us in a standoff between what is right and what is possible. Energy production, specifically the use of the Earth’s natural resources, is at the top of the list of contested subjects, with hoards of advocates and opponents on either side. One of the newest methods of natural gas energy production is a process called Hydraulic Fracturing, or fracking. This process uses large drills to create tunnels down into the earth’s crust and then introduces thousands of gallons of water and various chemicals to create horizontal cracks. Sands are pumped down next to hold the cracks open. Through these cracks, piping is inserted to collect the natural gas which is held inside. Repeated fracturing by oil and gas companies occurs as the resources are depleted. I poured over many articles and news reports in order to find out the truth about fracking. Proponents state that fracking is much less invasive than other fuel mining such as coal, and much less dangerous than nuclear. In fact, it does use much less energy to perform hydraulic fracturing than any other fuel resources available. However, after reviewing many studies on the effectiveness of fracking and reading reports of fracking issues, I feel that the use of fracking as a method of natural gas production is a grossly negligent process that has no place in modern society. The risks of improper fracking are known, the oil and gas companies arrogant, and the government is stuck

Hydraulic fracking has received the spotlight in recent years for several reasons. First, the burning of natural gas is the cleanest of fossil fuel. It contains 50% less than coal, and 25% less carbon than oil (McGlynn 1053). Also, burning natural gas is less toxic because there are no heavy metals in its composition (Marsa). These features help the gas industry to captivate an audience. The properties of the gas itself have never, and still are not, viewed as the issue. It is the process and method that extraction of shale-bound natural gas deposits that has led to an uproar of controversy. What 's the problem? Is fracking hazardous to our health? Let’s us analyze the economic rewards of fracking, before answering these questions.

According to former Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, “Hydraulic fracking is very much a necessary part of the future of natural gas.” Hydraulic fracking is a process in which natural gas is yielded from breaking rock formations deep below the ground’s surface. The rock formations are injected with a liquid mixture of water, sand, and several different chemical compounds. Some of these chemicals are known carcinogens if they are ingested in certain quantities. Accordingly, many people fear that if these chemicals collect in drinking water, there is an increased risk of the population developing disease. Additionally, companies are not required by law to reveal the chemicals they are using due to the fact that these are “trade secrets.” Although there are negative aspects of fracking, there are several positive benefits. The process of fracking produces natural gas, which is more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Moreover, nearly thirty-two states have the environmental potential for fracking, which would could greatly benefit these states by increasing revenue and creating more jobs. Currently, fracking procedures are being left for each state to decide how they want to regulate them. This process should be revised due to the fact that there are several environmental and personal health risks that are involved with fracking. The Clean Water Act should be amended in order to allow the EPA to create guidelines for the fracking

Shale is a soft, fine sedimentary rock that formed from consolidated mud or clay. It contains shale gas that is trapped within the shale formations which are rich in petroleum and natural gas. Studies have shown that 3.6% up to 7.9% of methane from shale gas escapes through venting and leaks into the atmosphere over a lifetime of a well. Methane emissions are considered to be at least 30% higher in concentration than conventional gas. That is, pools in which wells can be drilled so that oil and natural gas flow naturally and can be pumped to the surface. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with a global warming potential that is far greater than that of carbon dioxide. Shale gas contributes substantially to the greenhouse gas footprint on a shorter time scale, and results have shown that it leaves a 20% greater footprint than coal. Natural gas is being used as a transitional fuel which allows for further dependence on fossil fuels, yet reducing the green house gasses (GHG) when compared to oil and coal. In the 1990’s the United States produced its oil and gas through the use of conventional reservoirs, but in 2009, unconventional production took the lead. There is really not much of a difference between conventional and unconventional gas, but they are described as a “sponge and clay” production process. Gas is extracted far more easily though the use of conventional production, but in turn

Caruso, D. (Jan 3, 2011). 'Fracking' Pollution In Water: Pennsylvania Allows Natural Gas Drilling Waste Disposal In Waterways.