Hydraulic Fracking Advantages

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is a very controversial method of capturing oil and natural gas. It involves shooting a solution of water, sand, and almost 600 chemicals at extreme pressure into underground wells, causing the rock formations to crack. This allows the oil and natural gas to flow more freely, allowing previously trapped resources to be harvested. Fracking is so controversial because the potential monetary gains are enormous, yet the environmental impacts are devastating. The documentary “Gasland”, directed and narrated by Josh Fox, provided first hand insight into the fracking industry. He not only showed how the fracking industry is booming, but also interviewed people that live in those areas, sharing stories

One reason is that it is allowing the natural gas industry to boom, and natural gas is much cleaner than other fossil fuels. Natural gas produces only two thirds the amount of emissions of crude oil and only half as many emissions as coal. This has given natural gas the label of a transition fuel, which could be used by countries to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Transitioning more to natural gas can help lessen the effects of climate change, due to the fact that it is cleaner than other fossil fuels. Another benefit of fracking is that it allows stores of oil and natural gas to be harvested that previously seemed out of reach. As a result, fracking has helped lessen the fear of running out of energy sources, due to increasing the known amount of oil and gas reserves. A proven reserve is the oil and gas we can extract and use with our current technology. Hence, since fracking has allowed us to extract previously out-of-reach oil and gas, the amount of proven reserves has increased. This can potentially allow the U.S. to lessen its dependence on foreign

To start, fracking requires an immense amount of water, which could potentially deplete freshwater supplies. 1-7 million gallons of water are required to drill a well. Furthermore, another 1-7 million gallons of water are required every time an existing well is fracked again, which can be done up to 18 times. Once all of the wells out west are accounted for, that adds up to 40 trillion gallons of water. Furthermore, out west many areas struggle with droughts and water supplies. We’re currently seeing an industrialized city, Cape Town, South Africa, run out of water. It is not unreasonable to think that can happen in the United States, so using trillions of gallons of water does not seem responsible. Furthermore, this is not just water being used. It is a solution that contains almost 600 chemicals, many of which are toxins or carcinogens. This wastewater must go somewhere. Some of it winds staying in the wells, while the rest gets put in ponds. A lot of times these ponds are not properly managed, so the polluted water leaks back into the environment, and can end up coming out of people’s taps. This has caused many people to get sick, and has made the tap water very unsafe. Furthermore, the natural gas is also getting into the water systems, allowing some people to be able to light their tap water on fire. This is not only bad for the environment, but