Fracking: The Fracturing of America
(Introduction) Shaking wakes you up during the middle of the night. You open your eyes to scan the entire room searching for someone. No one to be found. The shaking continues and it grows stronger. Confusion, fear, and panic creep in. Earthquake! “I live in Oklahoma!” Images of the countless fracking drills you’ve seen over the years come to mind.
Unfortunately, tremors and earthquakes have spiked over the years as a result of fracking. Fracking has had such an impact on the environment causing earthquakes, water supply damage, and polluting the air.
(Background Information) Fracking is also known as hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracking is a method in which natural gas is extracted. Shale formations underneath are injected with a mixture of chemicals and water at a high pressure in order to break up shale rock. In “Does Fracking Cause Earthquakes?” Richard Bennett, from the Best Review, explains how once the rock is fractured, it releases shale gas or natural gas. This gas is then extracted through the same drilling well.
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Fracking was first introduced in the 1940s. Fracking has come a long way since then. New innovations have been discovered to increase productivity of fracking. Although fracking was introduced in the 40s, modern day fracking arrived in the 90s. Modern day hydraulic fracking involves the collaboration of the fracking method and horizontal drilling. In "Yes, No, Maybe So: Uncertainty in Texas Groundwater Withdrawal for Hydraulic Fracturing” Yong Eoh ,from Houston Law Review, states horizontal drilling alone is different from