The Relationship Between Energy And Energy Security Risk

In recent years, the subject of hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking has been a constant subject of interest in the news media. The pros and cons of fracking are passionately debated. However, the public should become educated on the subject of fracking prior to choosing a side of the argument. In the scholarly article, “Super Fracking,” published in 2014, by Donald L. Trucotte, Eldridge M. Moores, and John B. Rundle, a detailed description of fracking is provided, followed by their analysis of current issues surrounding the controversy. According to Trucotte, Moores, and Rundle, fracking saves the consumer money. The wellhead cost to produce natural gas in January of 2000 was two dollars and sixty cents per one thousand cubic feet. At an alarming rate, the cost at the wellhead to produce natural gas had risen to eight dollars per one thousand cubic feet by January of 2006. Comfortingly, the wellhead cost dropped to two dollars and eighty-nine cents by the end of 2012. Impressively, gas production increase and price decrease over the time period are a result of fracking. In their article, Trucotte, Moores, and Rundle describe in great detail that hydraulic fracturing, most commonly referred to as fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth to fracture the layers of rock so that a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the oil or natural gas inside. This method of fracking has been used commercially for the last fifty years.

When most people think of Texas they think of the booming oil industry that the state has. According to our textbook, “Texas accounts for almost one-third of the country’s natural gas production and holds almost almost a quarter of the country’s natural gas reserves.” Texas has greatly invested in the recourses that are found within the state which makes gives the state a huge economic advantage. When fracking is used to help turn out even larger quantities of natural gas, the economic impact is huge. If the state greatly invested in fracking sites and the use of both traditional and horizontal fracking, the economic gain in the near future could be huge. The state could be turning out twice the amount of natural gas as it is

the desire to achieve independence from foreign energy sources” (Ben Harris). “The environmental safety of fracking has yet to be conclusively demonstrated, they say, and the industry has a poor track record”(Ben

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

Natural gas is the transitional fuel that is cleaner than coal and oil that has been experiencing a boom in the United States for the last few decades. Natural gas is most familiar to us in the form of heating and cooking on gas ranges. It is abundantly available and modern technology has made it much more accessible and cheaper than other energy sources. Hydraulic fracturing, known short as fracking, is the combination of technology with water and chemicals, and high pressure, that breaks through shale rocks to capture energy. The Climate One podcast titled “ Fracking Boom,”explains America’s recent obsession with fracking, surrounding its history, economic stimulus, construction, and community opposition among other issues. Presenting the talk were Russell Gold, author of The Boom: How Fracking Ignited American Energy Revolution and Changed the World, Mark Zoback, professor of Geophysics at Stanford University, and Trevor Houser, co-author of Fueling Up: The Economic Implications of America’s Oil and Gas Boom. The three guest speakers shared their expertise on how the fracking boom can power America’s economy, but can only be successful if the process in making the wells for fracking, are done along guidelines within the regulations.

Fracking has brought the world’s energy supply from a crisis level to a stable supply that supports global energy demands. As energy prices rose and the energy supply slowly decreased, experts began to

One of the strongest arguments in favour of fracking is the reduction in CO2 that would occur with increased fracking. As of 2013, coal provided approximately 40% of the world’s electricity needs and provides 29% of the total world energy supply with oil being the largest at 31%. Coal-fired power plants are responsible for over 83% of the CO2 pollution since 1990, and have the highest ratio of CO2 output per unit of electricity out of all the fossil fuels. These emissions cause effects worldwide; acid rain, air pollution, toxic waste, to name a few. It is estimated that by replacing coal with gas from fracking, CO2 emissions would be reduced by more than 50%. This massive reduction in carbon emissions would have a global impact, resulting in unprecedented reductions in the effects of climate change. Allowing fracking is a fundamental advance in the efforts to reduce global warming; with this in mind fracking should be allowed and in this case it would benefit everyone when considering the reduction in CO2 emissions. However this poses an issue, if fracking was widely used then CO2 emissions may decrease but there would then be a halt in research and implementation of renewable energy. In some areas where fracking has become more prominent the price for the fuel has fallen; making it a cheaper alternative to expensive renewable energy. Fatih Birol, chief economist for the IEA, aired this concern, ‘Renewable energy may being the victim of cheap gas prices if governments do not

There has been a recent push to develop unconventional ways to obtain fossil fuels, particularly oil and gas in the United States and as well as over seas. Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” has come into play recently and there is much controversy over the developed methods of obtaining oil and gas. Supporters for fracking have claimed that the new technology will spark an economic growth with jobs, as well as an alternative energy source, but there are also risks that go into fracking, which citizens of the surrounding areas are opposed because fracking can have long lasting and hazardous effects not only on the environment, but on the people in the surrounding community.

Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is a mine stimulation technique that is taking the country by storm. It is a multi-billion dollar industry and in some parts of the country there are so many wells clustered together that they can be seen from space. The commodity being mined is natural gas. Natural gas has earned itself many new names depending on who is asked. According to big gas companies like Haiburton, it’s America’s solution to the energy crisis and a fuel for the 21st century. They claim this current period of economic and energy prosperity is due to increased fracking. However, this prosperity does not come without a cost. Many landowners, environmentalists, and scientists claim the process is poisoning the air, ground, water,

The debate over fracking cannot simply be limited to the discussion of environmental impact and health concerns. While these subjects are critically important to our future, so is the economic stability of the United States and its energy security that has been a point of major concern for decades. Until recent years, the hydrocarbon industry has been lead by Middle Eastern OPEC nations, and by natural gas production in places like Russia. For the last three consecutive years, the United States has

Finkel, M., Hays, J., & Law, A. (2013). The Shale Gas Boom and the Need for Rational Policy. American Journal of Public Health, 103(7), 1161-1163. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301285

Natural gases are the most important source of energy in the modern world of technology and electricity production, which makes the skyrocketing gas production in the U.S. due to hydraulic fracturing incredibly valuable in terms of global trade and economy. The United States has always been reliant on the Middle East and other European and Asian countries for energy, but is very quickly becoming energy independent. "By 2020, the Energy Information Administration predicts that the USA will become a net exporter of natural gas", reaching energy independence from other countries and starting to export gas to provide revenue and pay off debts (Hassett and Mathur). Even

Natural gasses are one of the most desirable and needed resources in the world today. As the population and technology continue to get larger the need for natural gasses continues to steadily increase. With the need for natural gasses increasing the industry continues to expand their techniques and means to acquire natural gas. The use of hydraulic fracking is receiving most of the attention of today’s natural gas industry much of which is negative. This paper not only discusses the process of fracking but the benefits and disadvantages that come along with its use. Its main purpose is not how fracking works but looking into what follows the fracking process and challenging your stance on the issue by using ethical theories to support and negate issues that are brought up by the use of fracking. While challenging your position on fracking I will explain why we should find an alternative to fracking due to our ethical obligations.

While it is true “fracking”, a procedure to obtain natural gas removal from shale formations, it is also true there have been infrastructure security issues associated with this practice. Furthermore, there have been ecological considerations from fracking brought to the forefront by countless environmentalists. Indeed, hydraulic fracturing, as it is referred to, is a process by which shale gas and oil is uprooted from a depth far below the earth’s exterior. The process of extracting shale gas and oil is employed aggressively while water is forced deep beneath the earth surface through a geological arrangement. From this arrangement, oil and gas is exerted back to the earth’s surface. Moreover, once the hydraulic fracturing process is

In 2011, a report released by the International Energy Agency claims the world is entering the “Golden Age of Gas.” The report shows that, with the increasing projects of fracking, gas use will escalate 50 percent and replace coal to become the second largest fuel by the year of 2035 (IEA). Correspondingly, one study illustrates the increased practice of fracking has brought $ 74 billion economic gain per year since 2007 (Dews). Also, one oil company claims that more than 200,000 jobs were created by fracking related operations. These statements point out the operation of fracking can bring robust economic benefits to the society. However, these statements only focus on the bright side of fracking. They did not indicate how fracking will affect the environment. Since 2010, fracking has raised many concerns about environmental impacts, including water contaminations, earth tremors, and air pollutions. Also, anti-fracking activists highlight the lacking of operational information and data of fracking companies makes tremendous toxic substances flow into the earth. They believe government should enforce more transparencies and regulations on fracking companies. Despite of economic benefits, due to its immense environmental impacts, people should stop practicing fracking until scientific researchers ensure its safety.