Summary: The Impact Of Fracking

The flowback water is stored in temporary lagoons or lakes until it is transported to facilities that treat the water or facilities that have permits to inject into deep “Class II wells” or dump into rivers, streams, and lakes along with other wastewater from other sources (OSU). Most of the facilities that are used to treat the flowback water before they are put back into water systems as treated water are not equipped to treat all the contaminants of flowback water. In all the research done, there have been no results that suggest the wastewater inside the wells contaminate or pollute groundwater that people use as drinking water. However surface spills of flowback been mostly unnoticed even though the flowback water that leaks from the storage lagoons into waterways and drinking water has potential to be especially harmful. Recent

In 2026, life in Dimock, Pennsylvania was a lot different than how it was twenty years ago. This is evident by all the new advances in technology within the two decades. However, what changed the town the most was the hydraulic fracturing boom back in the mid-2000s. The town has experienced many ups and downs because of all the gas companies coming in to extract the natural gas from the Marcellus Shale, that lies underneath the land. Dimock had received a lot of attention from the media due to the side-effects of fracking, some families also engaged in long lawsuits against the companies because of these harmful side-effects of fracking. The government finally stepped in and demanded the gas companies to pay for

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

The implementation of fracking has had a dramatic economic impact on the United States. The use of fracking in the last decade has increased the production of natural gas from shale formations by 10 times. (Issues) This has resulted in the United States moving more toward natural gas and away from coal to fulfill its energy power needs. In fact, one of the largest production growth areas of

This week’s discussion was to be on “environmental and economic issues” which we’re facing in our home countries, I decided to do mine on fracking. I’m sure most of us in the US have heard about fracking. There are pros and cons to it, the pro side is that it taps into the natural gas within the earth and provides a natural resource. This, in turn, will allow the US to reduce their reliance on foreign oil. The con side is what it is said to be doing to the earth. The technology isn’t new and neither is the knowledge that there is natural gas and oil below the earth’s surface. However, there’s growing concern from environmental groups concerned with how much harm is being done by pumping water and chemicals into the earth. I’ll only give a few examples of each, considering how many there are. The whole debate has many people are asking “is it worth the risk?”

With the proliferation of fracking in the United States and its impact on so many different aspects of society from environmental to health and economic impact, it is an important topic that demands more research and along with more community awareness. Another aspect of fracking that is discussed much less than the environmental and public health aspects is that the people that benefit most from the fracking industry usually white affluent individuals do not live in the area that drilling process or waste disposal process happens (Johnston, J. j., Werder, E., & Sebastian, D. (2016). It is also important to keep in mind how the elites of society are able to mold and manipulate public opinion to suit their needs (Davis, C., & Fisk, J. M. (2014). It has been shown how persistent opinions from elites and media messages can sway public opinion in whichever direction they choose (Davis, C., & Fisk, J. M. (2014). This paper demonstrates how the fracking industry not only poisons the environment it poisons communities through creating conflict and negative public health issues.

Hydraulic fracturing is either referred to as “fracking” or “hydrofracking.” It is a generally new technique for oil and gas extraction. Basically for shale gas and tight oil, including cracking of rock by a pressurized fluid. Even penetrating takes into account the infusion of very pressurized fracking liquids into shale rock layers profound inside the earth. After a well is drilled, it is cased with bond trying to guarantee groundwater security and the shale is using pressurized water broke with water, chemicals, sand and other fracking liquids. This makes new channels inside the stone from which natural gas is removed at higher than customary rates.

Imagine an economy in the United States if we were an oil exporting country, like those in the Middle East. The States falls victim to those countries because we do not export quite as much as they do. This problem could potentially be solved by upping the amount of oil and gas fracking. Then, that now unused oil can be sent out to other countries, turning a profit here. Although many people believe that it is harmful to the environment, and bad for the public around it. The largest being that it will contaminate the underground water supply. Despite this, many people can agree that it is overall beneficial. Hydraulic fracturing is essential to the United States, because it creates jobs, it generates income, it could potentially turn the economy around, and it is crucial to our energy production as a whole.

Intergenerational equity and sustainable development require humans as a whole to understand the dire consequences of natural gas and oil extraction. Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” not only distresses the local water supply, but provides potential damage to surrounding water aquifers that would be contaminated with various volatile organic compounds or VOCs. The negative externalities of fracking are disproportionately outweighed by the advancing technologies of solar and wind power, as they both can provide a sustainable way of living for future generations. Recognizing such adverse effects of fracking on the environment should catalyze the process of moving from non-renewable energy to renewable energy such as the photovoltaic cells that

The bottom line is that the environmental impacts of fracking are a real problem, and to which neither prohibition nor laissez faire seems a sensible solution. Instead, looking towards the mitigation of such impacts using economic tools should be applied to regulate the environmental harms.

The fracking industry in its entirety, although surrounded by a shroud of controversy, is an economic stimulator that many do not acknowledge. The potential replacement of coal for efficient and clean energy would not be possible if it weren’t for the utilization of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, and horizontal drilling. To consider fracking as only a danger to the environment would be an overstatement while saying fracking only provides natural gas and nothing else is an understatement. It’s important to consider all of the potential benefits that fracking gives to the economy and how its minor environmental destruction could lead to an economic reconstruction. Although fracking has a negative connotation with most people,

I like the way you support your answers with real examples. But you didn’t expand your response to the question number 4. Utilitarian’s would view the consequences of permitting or prohibiting fracking on private lands. Most of the fracking in the U.S. is done on private land. Allowing property owners to use their property for the purpose of fracking gives benefits to the property owners, but it causes a lot of harm to the environment and neighborhood. Because fracking of oil and gas causes water pollution and increase the earthquake activity. (Reuters). In 2015 the largest earthquake scientifically linked to fracking operation occurred in British Columbia. (Prince George Citizen). If the government prohibit the property owners for using their

As Americans search for alternatives to purchasing oil and gas from overseas, the increase of fracking to extract compressed natural gas has risen dramatically. Remarkably, the public can only access limited research from independent scientists who list both the negative and the positive effects fracking is having on the environment and citizens’ health (Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, & Branscomb, 2014, p. 75). Moreover, the American public and their elected officials are denied the chance to make informed choices about this undertaking because a fuller analysis is needed (Rosenberg, Phartiyal, Goldman, & Branscomb, 2014, p. 75). Some argue that the lack of comprehensive regulations of unconventional oil and gas development at the federal

Fracking adds to the economies benefit while also adds to the environment's benefit as well. For instance, certain statistics show that fracking is cheaper and safer than burning coal. Along with benefiting the environment it also helps human health. This is so because 40% of the world’s energy is produced by natural gas causing citizens health to improve. Another example of it benefiting the economy along with the environment is that it is known to be cheaper to drill a well than most energy obtaining methods. Thus showing that fracking benefits this country environmentally and

Fracking is the breaking of rocks in order to release oil gases stuck inside them. They do this by drilling down real deep and pump a mixture of water, sand and chemicals. The mixture causes rocks to crack and release oil gases and are pushed into a container. Of course there are benefits to fracking, but there are major negative effects of fracking. Mostly effects that affect our population.A primary example of negative effects is the contamination of drinking water for people (Source C). This is very bad because it affects a huge amount of the population the the United States if the water is contaminated. The contaminated water cannot be clean or purified through normal means making it nearly impossible to clean. “Water for fracking is typically