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The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

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Natural gas is a nonrenewable source of energy that is formed of the fossils of prehistoric organisms. It is one of the three fossil fuels found on Earth, which includes oil and coal and is the cleanest of the fossil fuels. Natural gas provides about fifty-eight percent of the world’s energy—although it is not the cleanest form of energy on the planet. Burning gas emits less carbon than burning oil and coal. However, there are many drawbacks to using natural gas. Fracking is a serious issue that not only causes environmental problems, but also health complications in many people. Using natural gas as energy can be extremely helpful with lowering the chances of climate change, but the risk is large and severe.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, …show more content…

3). The somewhat lax rules and the constant fracking can and will most likely be a detriment to people’s lifestyle and well being, and the environment as a whole; contaminating freshwater lowers the percentage of available freshwater.
There are some pros to using natural gas for energy rather than oil and coal. Burning natural gas releases far less carbon dioxide than its counterparts (Raven, Peter, et al. 219). Natural gas produces one-hundred and seventy thousand pounds of air emissions per every billion British thermal unit of energy. It has “fewer impurities, [and] is less chemically complex.” Ninety percent of natural gas produced is “delivered to customers as useful energy.” Natural gas is also used in lightweight cars, the blades on wind turbines, and solar panels (Environmental).
Even with all the great uses of natural gas, there is an uneven spread of natural gas reserves in the world. Most of it is found in Russia and Iran. And, according Dorling Kindersley Limited, in the future, more natural gas will come from “unconventional sources.” Extracting is more difficult and less economical than normal. The gas does have the same uses as gas from “conventional” wells, such as heating, cooking, transportation, and generating electricity (Oil

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Natural gas is said to be the fuel of the recent future but at this point in time it as a resource that is quickly dwindling. A process called hydraulic fracturing or fracking is being used to access hidden reserves of gas in shale deposits under the ground. The process of fracking isn't new, but is being used more frequently and in more areas as easy-to-access deposits run out. This is where the dispute comes in; is the economic gains of fracking worth the environmental harm it causes? Fracking is too dangerous to risk when finding ways to access natural gas because it can affect water sources, has long lasting effects on the environment, and ruins areas surrounding the well site.

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About a third of United State's electricity generation is fueled by natural gas, and since most of it is produced from the US itself, it’s not a surprise that some people are hailing it “the clean energy of the future”. But really, how clean is natural gas anyway?     Hydraulic fracking is the process used to produce a third of the natural gas in the US. First, a well is drilled and a steel pipe casing is inserted into the well. Then, a mixture of water and other chemicals are pumped into the formation.

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“The process happens naturally: high-pressure magma, water, petroleum and gases deep inside the Earth can crack rock, helping to drive plate tectonics, rock metamorphism and the recycling of carbon dioxide between the mantle and the atmosphere” (pg 275). Engelder also delves into the argument of the emissions of methane gas. He concludes that the methane argument is highly overrated since the majority of methane gas (96%), other gases, and oil has been previously released from their original form. He also argues that methane is a non-toxic gas that should not be fretted over. To counter the argument made by Howarth and Ingraffea detailing larger scale fracking compared to historical fracking, Engelder says that larger scale decreases the amount of wells needed and the amount of equipment, roads, and piping that are required of small-scale fracking.

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It has been recorded that America has already surpassed Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest oil producer in some ways. Fracking is helping to make America soon to become one of the largest natural gas and oil exporters as gas prices have dropped to $55 a barrel. This would cause America to leave the Middle East as there is no reason to keep stability for the good of supplying the country with oil if they began to frack their own (Mlive). America has plenty of oil being discovered daily, allowing the United States government to become independent from foreign nations. With America able to produce natural gases and oil on its own America, then will have a level up on nations that are using natural gases as a political lever like Russia.

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Converting the majority of our energy use from coal and oil would benefit America and other countries immensely. Natural gas burns 80% cleaner than the two aforementioned, is easily transported and utilized, and is found abundantly all over the world making it a serious contender in a society seeking out alternative energy sources. A new generation of thinking has emerged crafting the green revolution, a movement to create sustainable energy use while exploring other options. Natural gas, while not nonrenewable, is abundantly found in the United States, creates less pollution when burned, and can be used to segue from primarily coal and oil to primary use of renewable energies. Natural Gas is a great way to make sure the air you breathe

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Fracking has actually been taking place since the 1940’s, but not until it was combined with horizontal drilling was it extremely useful (“Hydraulics” 71-75). In the past fifteen years the fracking business has skyrocketed. By 2015 thirty-five thousand wells are using fracking methods in order to extract the natural gases each year. Ninety percent of all gas production in the United States would be impossible without fracking (“Hydraulics” 71-75). More than ninety percent of natural gas wells in the U.S. rely on fracking (Howarth, Ingraffea, and Engelder).

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A third way that fracking is a useful resource is that It lowers energy cost. The United states can produce natural gas for only $2.50 per thousand cubic feet making it the world’s best and cheapest liquefying technology. Robert Hefner points out that the cost of heating 65 million American home by natural gas has fallen $20 Billion annually. Plus, The comparative decrease in natural gas cost for low-income households was more than $10 billion. Since then the United states has become the world’s low-cost producer of natural gas.

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Using natural gas from fracking is a better and safer alternative than using coal because natural gas does not emit as much carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. The graphs presented on natfuel.com shows that the amount of carbon dioxide

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On average, each square meter of the earth’s surface receives about a kilowatt of solar energy – 17 times the energy of a light bulb. A typical home has enough roof area to meet all its power needs with rooftop panels that harness solar energy. The fourth energy I would like to cover is natural gas. Natural gas is a combustible mixture of gases hydrocarbons that accumulate in the porous sedimentary of rocks over 80 percent methane together with minor amounts of ethane, butane, nitrogen, and, sometime

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To produce energy, companies burn coal, oil, gas, spin turbines, and build dams. Burning coal is a detrimental option to the environment that produces pollutants and contributes to greenhouse gases. To help with this growing issue, it is preferable to burn oil due the the minimized pollutants and carbon emissions it releases. For the US, fossil fuels are typically imported from other countries primarily being Asian ones.

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Natural Gas usage was 27.5% of the total energy used, of which, 34% went to the industrial sector, 32% went to the residential and commercial sector, 30% went to the electric power sector, and 3% went to the transportation sector. Coal usage was 17.9% of the total energy used, of which, 91% went to the electric power sector, 8% to the industrial sector and 1% to the residential and commercial sector. Renewable Energy usage was 9.6% of the total energy used, with over half of it going to the electric power sector. Lastly, Nuclear power accounted for 8.3% of the total

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However, natural gas is still a fossil fuel, regardless of the fact that it burns cleanly. The process of extracting the natural gas, however, is dangerous, and the fact that it cleanly burns is not applicable. When not extracted properly, and even when it is extracted properly, there can be deadly consequences that cannot be

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Abundant domestic production, increased resale value and more affordable maintenance. As evidenced in the Environment Protection Agency, natural gas as the cleanest fossil fuel was used in many ways to help reduce the emissions of pollutants into the environment. Burning natural gas than other fossil fuels emits fewer harmful pollutants and increase the reliance on potentially reduces emission of those many harmful pollutants. The use of natural gas does not significantly contribute in the formation of the smog as it emits lower nitrogen oxide and doesn’t have particulate matters.

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Humans have been using natural gas for thousands of years, in fact, the Chinese are believed to have used it as early as 500 B.C. to boil and purify water. According to Paykani (2013), natural gas was used to fuel streetlights as early as 1785, and was the primary source of light during the 19th century. The invention of the electric light bulb in 1879 then forced natural gas companies to find other uses for the resource, and as a result, natural gas has become a very popular source of energy. Natural Gas vehicles have been documented as early as the 1930’s, although it is unclear exactly when, or who, invented them. According to Random History (2008), as far back as the 1930s, natural gas and manufactured gas were used in motor vehicles,

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