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Pros And Cons Of Hydraulic Fracturing

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What are the pros and cons of Hydraulic Fracturing?

Hydraulic Fracturing in our current day in age is a very commonly used practice for an alternative energy source. Despite that hydraulic fracturing technology comes with potential health and environmental risks, gas based corporations continue to frack because Hydraulic Fracturing has positively impacted the U.S. economy by lowering natural gas prices within the last five years. Nearly half of the natural gas used today is the result of fracking done within the last three and half years. While Hydraulic Fracturing has the potential to create around 1.8 trillion of recoverable barrels of shale gas, the amount of damage and waste left behind in its tracks is very concerning to say the least. …show more content…

This water is withdrawn from ponds, rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, and wells.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. Not to mention it leaks more emissions, such as methane, than it does coal. Methane being a greenhouse gas is a huge proponent of global warming and the carbon footprint. But that’s just one fraction of the things emitted during the process. Samples from well blowouts and fluids pits in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico found fluids to contain diesel fuel and more than 200 different kinds of chemicals, over 95% of which have adverse side effects including brain damage, birth defects and cancer

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