The main way that oil and natural gas reserves are acquired are through the means of Fracking. Also known as hydrofracking, this method utilizes a drill that drills down thousands of feet underground, which is then flushed with millions of gallons of water along with additive chemicals at high pressures to break the rocks sheltering the reserves. This method of attainment is quite risky as it comes with many unfavorable consequences that are quite unbeneficial. Like fossil fuel plants, fracking also releases greenhouse gasses like methane(Potential Health and Environmental Effects of Hydrofracking in the Williston Basin, Montana), which is worse than carbon dioxide and causes air pollution. Alongside that, pollutants like Benzene and Xylene also leak out during the fracking process, which is known to cause serious health conditions and even death in some cases due to the long exposure to the pollutants(Potential Health and …show more content…
This act states that industries must fully disclose to the public the contents in the water they use. By being exempt from this act, this creates some controversial talk among those that oppose fracking and believe that switching to renewables is the better option. “By the time the frackers are done in the other states our water will be worth more than oil” (Khavari). Water is gonna end being a valuable resource. Within the hydraulic fracking industry, millions of gallons of water are used up and more often than not, are never recovered again(Pros and Cons of Fracking). This affects the surrounding area by turning the area around into roadways for the transport trucks(Pros and Cons of Fracking), it disrupts the locals(Pros and Cons of Fracking), and the soil in the surrounding area is being tainted with chemicals(Potential Health and Environmental Effects of Hydrofracking in the Williston Basin,