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Pros And Cons Of Hydraulic Fracking

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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.
One key reason the government needs to ban fracking in the United …show more content…

The chemicals that are recovered are left in open air pits to simply let them evaporate. Once these VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) evaporate into the atmosphere they can create among others a very serious problem, acid rain. Acid rain is a serious issue which can have an adverse impacts on forests, freshwater sources and soil, killing insects and water dwelling species, as well as causing damage to buildings and impacts on human health with conditions such as sensory and respiratory diseases. This is a serious concern among the health community with multiple notable health professionals stating that it is a serious concern that needs action to happen regarding …show more content…

Each fracking operation requires up to eight million gallons of water to complete the job. A fracking well can be fracked up to eighteen times resulting in up to one hundred and forty four million gallons of water can be used in each fracking well. People across the world have highlighted this incredible waste of water, it is calculated that around seventy two trillion gallons of water is currently needed for present active wells. James Fam¬¬¬iglietti a University of California professor of civil and environmental engineering said "It's a wake-up call” and that we need “to have a conversation about what impacts there are” showing how this is an extremely serious matter. Others have stated that while fracking wells need millions and millions of gallons of water to operate and fuel our never ending addiction with gas and fossil fuels millions in Africa and countries across the world walk home every day,

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752 Words | 4 Pages

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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308 Words | 2 Pages

In 1949, fracking was first greeted into the oil and gas industry. Fracking is the pumping of water down a well of oil or gas while under high stress to break open streams in rocks holding gas or oil. Sand or another material is used as a proppant to push cracks open once cracks are created. That allows gas and oil to easily cost to the well, which all adds to the number of material that can be caught. The method of fracking increased at a high rate in Texas and Oklahoma in their gas and oil fields.

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1443 Words | 6 Pages

There are over one millions wells in the United States of American that have been fracked since the 1940’s (Brantley, 2013). “Fracking,” also well know as hydraulic fracturing, is a process that is used to extract natural gas from rocks. Wells are drilled vertically into the ground to a desired depth, and then they continue horizontally between shale rock that is believed to contain natural gas. Once the well is drilled, a mix of water, sand-like substances, and other chemicals are pumped into the well at extremely high pressures in order to fracture the shale rock which will release the gas trapped inside. Once the gas flows out of the rock and into the well, it will be drawn back up to the surface and then it is processed, refined, and shipped

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2076 Words | 9 Pages

Fracking is a way to process natural gas extraction. Oil and gas companies do this. This method is a fairly new method of gas extraction. It is also known or referred to as hydro-fracking, or horizontal drilling. Piping must be first installed before any drilling can occur.

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Humans need oxygen and water for survival, the toxins of Hydraulic Fracking is contaminating not only the water but also the oxygen from what we as humans breath from (The Ethical Issues of Hydraulic Fracturing, 2013). The environmental risk factors of Hydraulic Fracking are that the water used to Fracking has been nonrenewable water due to the massive toxins in the water which have demolished water streams and ruin landscapes. American citizens continue to grow defenseless as federal government stand by. Natural Resource Defense Council also known as NRDC have created a Community Fracking Defense Project in which communities can determine if and how fracking can be allowed within its

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493 Words | 2 Pages

Fracking is another source of fuel, decreasing a city’s dependency on foreign oil. Fracking doesn’t cost much because it is produced locally. The amount of jobs in the oil industry has almost doubled due to fracking. However, fracking requires between one and eight million gallons of water for each fracking site. This water contains many hazardous chemicals and can possibly contaminate the environment.

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Scientists have found methane levels in the surrounding underground water sources are seventeen percent higher than more circumstances ("Pros"). Residents in the areas of gas well sites claim, and actually have video evidence, of holding a hand-held lighter to their sink water and being able to ignite it. If that itself isn't frightening enough, well companies can actually hide the chemicals they use in the process of fracking from the public ("New Yorkers"). The companies use up to six-hundred chemicals in the process, that go into the ground and can affect the water the public drinks but now of them have to be disclosed to the public ("Natural"). Also, the act of fracking can release naturally-occurring radioactive chemicals into well-water that, in other circumstances, could never possibly reach the public's

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537 Words | 3 Pages

Fracking is a process by which gas and oil are extracted from shale rocks using high temperatures to break rocks apart down a borehole (Fracking and Climate Change, n.d.). It involves drilling down into the earth before a high- pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside (Risky gas drilling threatens health, water supplies, n.d.).The water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock which enables the gas to flow out into the well (Risky gas drilling threatens health, water supplies, n.d.).This can be carried out vertically or by drilling horizontally to the rock layer (News page: what is fracking and why is it controversial?, n.d.). There are many implications of fracking as it creates huge amount of environmental

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One of the most heated debates in the political and environmental areas is the debate over hydraulic fracturing, or more its more colloquial term “fracking”. Fracking is the process by which normally inaccessible hydrocarbon deposits are made available. First a well is drilled down vertically, once the pipe has reached the shale it begins to bore horizontally for thousands more feet. Then, a combination of water, sand, and various chemicals are pushed out of the pipe at up to 9000 pounds per square inch. This frees the natural gas (a hydrocarbon) to then be pumped to the surface.

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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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1353 Words | 6 Pages

When considering whether or not a local board of supervisors should grant a warrant of land to a fracking company they must consider whether the number of jobs it will provide and the profits that they will receive are worth the environmental destruction and danger to the welfare of the people. The fracking industry could bring economic prosperity to the county. Fracking provides a cheaper energy source and would cause gasoline prices to lower. “In the United States gas bills have dropped $13 billion per year from 2007 to 2013 as a result of increased fracking, which adds up to $200 per year for gas-consuming households. Moreover, all types of energy consumers, including commercial, industrial, and electric power consumers, saw economic gains totaling $74 billion per year from increased fracking.”

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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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666 Words | 3 Pages

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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450 Words | 2 Pages

Now, with thousands of wells, this water becomes not reusable anymore. And if they don't get rid of this water properly it will contaminate the rest of safe water. Based on the article Pros and Cons of Natural Gas Use, by Aggeliki K. it shortly explains the top pros and cons of natural gas. Here we see that this type of energy is finite. Once is used it cannot be renewable.

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