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Hydraulic Fracking Advantages

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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 …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

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Governments are questioning where they should allow fracking and use in to get natural gases. Fracking is the process of breaking of rocks to release natural gases using drills or explosions. The fracking used today is hydraulic fracking which is the same process but uses pressurized water to break the rocks up. In order for the pipes to not get clogged up by bacteria they use chemicals to kill them. Where the natural gas is found is dug up is thousands of feet below the surface of the earth.

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Academic Analysis: “Natural Gas Fracking Addresses All of Our Major Problems” In his essay, “Natural Gas Fracking Addresses All of our Major Problems,” Richard Pierce argues that by using horizontal drilling and fracturing of shale formations to obtain natural gas will solve many of our nation’s issues. He cites that by accessing our abundant supply of natural gas, the economy, environment, and geopolitical conditions will improve. He backs these claims by listing examples of recently discovered natural gas basins in the United States and abroad and by showing that the current gas supply has put downward pressure on oil prices. Lower oil prices make many products more affordable and improve the global economy.

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2156 Words | 9 Pages

It is Time to Quit Frackin’ Around “Hydraulic Fracturing” has had adverse effects on the environment, the economy, and human life in general. Understanding these effects, and their imprint on the planet Earth and those therein will make things more clear. It is important to know how “fracking” works, and it will bring to light the good, the bad, and the ugly. The truth about fracking is that it is quickly becoming a nightmare for both the environment and humans alike, because there are not enough state or federal policies to help monitor and reduce the pollution it creates. During the second decade of this twenty-first century, the United States has discovered a new type of energy.

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Hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking) is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock deep in the ground. The fracking rig drills a pipe many miles below the ground and then injects highly pressurized fracking fluids into the shale area to release the shale gas. This process uses millions of gallons of water and hundreds of thousands of gallons of chemicals. The United Kingdom (UK) government is introducing a new range of licenses that if approved would allow fracking in more areas of the UK and Scotland . Hydraulic fracking should be banned because this process is detrimental to the local environment by damaging vital eco-systems and even damaging the atmosphere.

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Brianna Laranjo Mr. Wylam Biology, p.4 5/24/16 Hydraulic Fracturing Debate Earthquakes, water contamination, and mass water wasting. These three things sound pretty terrible, right? Well these are some of the possible outcomes of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing is basically a method of releasing natural gas from rock deep inside of the Earth. Because of the risks that the questionable method poses, the U.S should be working to limit the practice of fracking.

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Fracking is a drilling technique that is tracked back to starting in 1862 but modernized around the 1990s when The father of fracking, George P MItchell combined hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling . The definition of fracking is the process of injecting liquids at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes,etc to extract oil and natural gases. There are a few pros and cons of hydraulic fracturing like its effects on our environment such as causing earthquakes, global warming, and polluting water. Along with the cons comes a few pros which are based on health benefits due to less coal mining or none at all and the obvious fact of more access to more gas and oil. One of the worries of fracking is its effect on the atmosphere

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In the science industry there are many different controversies which are questioned every day, hydraulic fracturing is just one of these controversies. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a relatively new process which allows extraction of previously unobtainable natural gas from rock deep within the Earth’s surface. Drilling allows pressurized fracking fluids to be injected into the shale, creating new paths for the natural gas to be extracted from. The fluids are said to burst the paths created and allow the fluid as well as natural gas to escape and contaminate ground water. Although this is great for obtaining more natural gas, which is a much cleaner form of energy compared to other fossil fuels, it also raises concerns about contaminating aquifers which are found in the same vicinity as the gas bearing shale.

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Fracking has become a major issues not only in the United States, but throughout the world. With the recent fracking boom in North America, ranging from south central Canada to Texas, the topic has become more of a controversy. There is a thin line balancing the environmental and economic impact. In the end, fracking adjusts to both sides and should be implemented around the globe. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is the process of sending high pressure fluid mixtures, made up of water, sand, and chemical additives, to created hairline fractures in rocks.

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In today’s global fight for the growing demand of energy and promotion of saving energy, fracking has become very controversial. The dangers to our society and health are at the forefront in conducting safer practices. To obtain the natural gas, fracking or hydraulic fracking must be conducted. Fracking is defined as blasting high-pressure water, sand, and chemicals deep underground, and allowing the formations to fracture. This practice releases the natural gas out of the formations and is used for power.

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593 Words | 3 Pages

This water is withdrawn from ponds, rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, and wells. Because the water becomes contaminated during the process, it may never be returned to our natural water reserves. So for example fracking the Marcellus will require many billions of gallons of water over the next 15 years, all of which will never be returned to reusable water to mankind, therefore depleting the limited amount we have. (Howard, 2011) While you make think you out of harms way with not being directly around the process there our more far reaching effects. Hydraulic Fracturing also brings about drinking water contamination – Fracking brings with it the potential for spills, blowouts and well failures that contaminate your local underground water supplies.

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162 Words | 1 Pages

Keep in mind fracking has also caused earthquakes, pollution and health issues for humans, but in the early 1980s, there was so much natural gas that all gas prices were reduced. All of that natural gas came from hydraulic fracturing or fracking.

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It involves high-pressure injections of water and chemicals into rock formations, which in turn release natural gas (Thompson, “Hydraulic Fracturing Should Be Banned”). However, fracking can result in many negative outcomes. For instance, scientists who conducted the earthquake study for Geology discovered that not only did fracking cause the biggest earthquake in Oklahoma, but it also caused more earthquakes in states that hardly experienced any seismic activity (“Wastewater Injection Spurred Biggest Earthquake Yet, Says Study,” The Earth Institute Columbia University). In fact, quakes have hit so frequently in Oklahoma, that state and oil regulators decided to shut down five disposal wells due to the increasing number of earthquakes in a city named Cushing (“Oil Regulators Shut Down Two Disposal Wells After Earthquakes Near Cushing”, State Impact: NPR).

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537 Words | 3 Pages

Why would we turn down these great benefits? Although improved society and an economic boom are essential for a thriving nation, this process also contributing to global warming, pollution of our water and air supply, as well as the increase in seismic activity. These effects are sometimes irreversible and difficult to combat. In the case of global warming, fracking plays a huge role.

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1294 Words | 6 Pages

“Used in over one million wells in the United States for more than sixty years, fracking has been successfully used to retrieve more than seven billion barrels of oil and over six hundred trillion cubic feet of natural gas.” (Loris, 2012).

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Researchers have “requested data from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Texas, all states heavily involved in the recent surge of oil and gas drilling, about complaints related to hydraulic fracking for oil and gas” for their research on fracking (Dechert).   The research collected was shocking, over 2,000 complaints in Texas alone and several cases on well water contamination within the states mentioned in Decherd’s article. People need to be alerted about how real fracking is and the damages it is doing. These complaints and cases should be a wakeup call to the world and say that we should put it to a

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