Sand Mining Pollution

The environmental risks that accompany fracking are potentially hazardous. In order to frack, thousands of acres of forests need destroyed to allow roadways the space they need to exist (Lampe 38). However, these roadways allow erosion to occur due to the lack of vegetation (Lampe 38). Along with erosion, siltation occurs and sand, soil, and mud sink to the bottom of rivers, and ponds (Lampe 38). Therefore, the animals living in these habitats may migrate, or simply just die. Trees situated on the acres of land for hundreds of years would have to be chopped down to make way for roadways. In some cases, depending on where the oil reservoir is located, the state declares eminent domain on houses and pays the landowners. Consequently, the houses will be destroyed and the oil reservoirs will be fracked.

Yet, according to Environmental Heath Perspectives author David Holzman (2011), “In a study of 68 private drinking water wells in northeastern Pennsylvania and New York, methane contamination rose sharply with proximity to natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) sites” (p. 1). The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) suspects that the cause of this contamination is the result of leaks caused by poor gas well construction at the fracking sites. Not only is the water surrounding the hydraulic fracturing sites getting contaminated but it is also getting depleted at a fast rate. According to Scientific American journalist Bobby Magill (2015), “Oil and natural gas fracking, on average, uses more than 28 times the water it did 15 years ago, … putting farming and drinking sources at risk in arid states, especially during drought” (p. 1). One of these states is California which is undergoing one the worst droughts in its history. Despite this fact, California is still extracting natural gas using hydraulic fracturing. There are also other types of environmental problems that threaten America’s landscapes which are caused by hydraulic

A relatively new process for extracting desired shale oil from the bowels of the earth seems to be shaking things up around operation sites. Environmentalists and oil tycoons have been debating for years over the safety of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, since areas with a high concentration of fracking operations have been affected by several environmental problems. Though many scientists argue that correlation does not necessarily mean causation, the media and many environmentalists use these environmental problems around fracking sites as proof of the long term damage fracking causes. Although it has domesticated the oil industry and reduced usage of coal as a fuel source, fracking is undoubtedly related to many detrimental environmental impacts, such as water table pollution and increased seismic activity.

Within this scientific report, Tony Dutzik and Elizabeth Ridlington underline the numerous flaws that hydraulic fracturing has on social, environmental and economic spheres. The introduction of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has brought upon not only poisonous contaminants into the water of several cities, but also a long-lasting detrimental effect on the natural resources that reside by the “fracking” sites. Furthermore, both Dutzik and Ridlington effectively demonstrate the lack of regulations for fracking, causing the problem only to worsen.

Mountaintop removal, is one of the most harmful things that we do to our environment. It has already destroyed more than 500 mountains which is more than 1 million acres. The coal companies dump the rubble into the neighboring valleys exposing heavy metals and other toxics that also pose threats to the region’s plants and animals. The pipelines involved in Fracking for natural gas are even more inefficient than the methods of obtaining coal. Fracking is when charges are set far underground into the hard bedrock called shale where there are pockets of burnable fuel. When the charges go off exploding these deposits of gas it then begins to seep up through the ground and pipes are set in place to try to harness and hold as much of that gas as possible but on average in that field only 15 percent or less is actually collected. The bedrock that the charges are set in are what purify the drinking water for the area in which it is located, so when Fracking takes place the 85 percent on average of uncollected, extremely toxic, gasses go straight into the soil and into the drinking water. The

For American society to make educated and responsible decisions about the environment and potential health risks, science is required. Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, and Branscomb (2014) declare that scientific data that is independent, credible, and well-timed must be available to societies and have a significant role in informing decisions (p. 75). For example, hydraulic fracking involves numerous risks that are similar and dissimilar from conventional oil and gas production. Additional risks from conventional oil and gas manufacturing include the following: “the volume, composition, use, and disposal of water, sand, and chemicals in the hydraulic fracturing process; the size of well pads; and the scale of fracking-related development” (Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, & Branscomb, 2014, pp. 75-77). Further, the increase in hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling has expanded into more populated regions of the country (Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, & Branscomb, 2014, p. 77). Such factors contribute to the rapid social disruption as well as damage the environment, especially in areas not previously endangered to the oil and gas industry (Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, & Branscomb, 2014, p. 77).

Fracking is an industrial activity that requires the establishment of a work site, called a "well pad," from which multiple horizontal wells can be drilled. A well pad and associated infrastructure (roads, impoundments, pipelines, etc.) covers an average of 8.8 acre There are a number of stressors from hydraulic fracturing operations that may affect wildlife health. A study done by a USA Government Accountability Office showed that “of the 575 National Wildlife Refuges in the United States, 105 contain a total of 4406 oil and gas wells” (Burton, 2014). The construction and transportation of fracking operations lead to a number of earth-disturbing activities, such as clearing, grading, and excavating land to create a pad to support the drilling equipment or other necessary industrial process materials. In general, well pads increase the potential for sediment erosion on and off location because of the destruction of vegetation. These newly constructed well pads also often require construction of access roads to transport equipment and other materials to the site. If sufficient erosion controls to contain or divert sediment away from surface water are not established, then surfaces exposed to precipitation and runoff could carry sediment and other harmful pollutants into nearby rivers, lakes, and streams. The construction of

Pursuing hydraulic fracturing as a top manager of Chevron, I will describe the dilemmas that are associated with fracking. The first problem with this procedure is finding the appropriate land and leasing it from the landowners. With talk around the country, it can be difficult finding land because of landowners’ personal experience with the practice of hydraulic fracturing. In southwestern Pennsylvania there have been cases of animal birth defects, faucet erosion, stomach pains, and other health issues; in response, according to the New York Times, “Range Resources maintains that a D.E.P. study from 2010 indicates no air pollution of any kind” (Griswold, 2011). The country is torn in

Hopkins and Jordan C. Roush, researched the effect that mountaintop mining with valley fills had on six different fish species. This research project also examined the change in landscape, noting that while this change is more obvious, it could also negatively effect the different fish species being researched. In this study, it was found that four of the six different species reacted negatively with influences spanning from 5.9-12.7%. The species in the Kentucky River system that responded negatively were: The Southern Redbelly Dace, the Sharpness Darter, the Eastern Sand Darter, and the Shorthead Redhorse (Hopkins, Roush). What these results tell about mining near America’s irreplaceable natural resources is that while a mining site is in use, it hurts the resource badly, but it also hurts the watersheds around that region after the site is removed from that particular area. This is yet another example of why mining should no longer be allowed near precious natural resources that cannot be replaced. Americans have continually taken the land for granted that was given to them, which has caused significant damage to natural resources all around the

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

First of all, the mining of bitumen burns enough natural gas every day that can heat 6 million homes. It takes more than 3 million barrels of fresh water a day to produce 1 billion barrels of bitumen, 2 tons of earth excavation and sand to make 1 barrel of bitumen, about 2 tons of tar sands are required to produce 1barrel of oil and then 90% of the polluted water are dumped in the world’s largest impoundments of toxic waste which are the tailing pounds along the Athabasca River. If tar sands growth goes unchecked an area the size of Florida will become a wasteland. A single incident, in 2008, 1,600 ducks died after landing in the tailing pounds of syncrude tar sands mine. It is not only destructive to ancestral lands, habitat, both on land and water but also causes enormous GHG emissions. Data shows that oil sands are Canada’s largest source of CO2 emissions.

It is no surprise that the residents of Hudson Hope have expressed concern in Talismans permanent water licence. In addition, a drought in July 2010 leaves the Williston Reservoir levels lower than usual. Residents have also expressed concern over the “additives” that are added to the fracking fluid. Due to the intense crack propagation induced by fracking, these additives are subject to enter the ground water supply, and in the past have been present in drinking water. Hydraulic fracturing poses several environmental concerns that question its ethical

Mountaintop Removal mining is a very controversial environmental issue with many pros and cons on both sides of the argument. I have found three different articles with three contrasting views in the sense that they are from different geographic regions. The three articles are from the St. Petersburg Times, The Washington Times, and The Guardian, which are located in Florida, Maryland, and London, respectively. Despite the varying locations, the three articles shared many similarities in their articles.

The adverse reactions that the chemicals have on drinking water could cause birth defects and even death. Most drilling companies do not even check their drilling zones for adequate environmental protection. This is a major health hazard, and should be addressed. (Allen, 2013). Fracking uses a large amount of water. In some areas water is a valuable commodity and in limited supply. This could cause problems for those areas if the drilling process were to use too much water. The disposal of waste water from drilling is also a problem. The way in which a drilling company’s disposes of their waste has been known to cause tremors, which could lead to a massive earthquake if one is not careful. These companies need to rethink their process in order to provide the environment with the protection it needs.

The correlation between fracking disposal wells used for wastewater and minor seismic activity is also being studied by scientists (Shumway). If fracking is not done properly, then there could be consequences including the spills and even seismic activity that could be caused by injecting the wastewater back into the ground. Fracking is more dangerous in areas experiencing drought conditions because fracking requires a very large amount of water to break open the rocks (Rosenberg). The costs of cleaning up post-drilling messes and repairing damaged infrastructure is placed on the people living in the surrounding area to repair road damage caused by trucks and to clean contaminated water and water systems (Dispenziere). Even though fracking creates economic growth, it is lessened by the amount of money that is required to clean up the messes fracking operations create, damaged infrastructure is expensive to repair and it is also dangerous for the people who have to use it. The dangers of fracking to the environment and community are ever present and can cause problems for the local area because it can contaminate the water supply with dangerous chemicals and fracking can also cause damage to the infrastructure which the community must pay