Hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking”, is the action of drilling into the Earth and pumping water through in order to extract natural gas. Since the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was passed, the natural gas industries have increased production. On the downside, claims of water contamination due to the natural gas drilling began to rise. The issue that many people have had with hydraulic fracturing isn’t just the contamination to our environment, rather people have seen the contamination in the government. The government, since the Energy Policy Act of 2005, does not require the natural gas companies to release the components of their “fracking fluid” that they mix with water that, even after use, isn’t disposed of properly. “Fracking” has become a controversial issue that will have a major impact on The United States’s environment.
Hydraulic fracturing actively takes place in 22 states, occupying around 1.1 million active fracking sites. Each natural gas extraction requires around 600 chemicals, none of which need to be reported to the
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There are materials needed in order to fracture. In places like the Midwest, the mining for silica has severely damaged miners’ respiratory systems (Loki 3). This shows that even though hydraulic fracturing isn’t occurring in every state, it does have indirect consequences. Another example, that has effects on all states, is the water usage. The water that resurfaces is improperly treated and pollutes waterways. The waterways flow into places like the Gulf of Mexico and coastlines, most prominently, but can also flow throughout Oceans and Seas across the planet. The water has a major impact on the country’s health overall. The effects of hydraulic fracturing are prominent in more than just the twenty-two “fracking” states, these effects occur in all 48 consecutive states, and has potential to affect other countries and states as