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The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

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It is important to note that the technology of fracking falls under risk, more specifically a manufactured risk. These concepts of risk are laid out by Ulrich Beck in his book, Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity, where he defines risk as “a systematic way of dealing with hazards and insecurities induced and introduced by modernization itself (Beck, 1992).” Manufactured risks are risks that we create. In the case of fracking, we have created risk by coming up with the technology that enables us to go through the process of fracking. Beck also points out that risk isn’t static and is changing with changing values and perceptions (Beck, 1992). This goes along with the idea that, to many, it seems like fracking just popped out of nowhere, when …show more content…

The amendments to SWDA that excluded injection wells were “(i) the underground injection of natural gas for purposes of storage; and (ii) the underground injection of fluids or propping agents (other than diesel fuels) pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities. (Brady, 2012, pg. 45)”. RCRA gives the EPA all authority to regulate the cradle-to-grave process of hazardous waste (Brady, 2012, pg. 46). In 1982, waste from oil fields was exempted from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (California Fracking, n.d.).”. This happened before the EPA could complete testing on wastes produced by fracking (oil-field wastes) when Congress enacted the Solid Waste Disposal Act which exempts oil-field wastes from being defined under hazardous waste because the waste caused by fracking is liquid and not solid (Brady, 2012, pg. 46-47). The CWA gives the basic structure for regulating pollution and water quality for water (Brady, 2012, pg. 48). Under the CWA, “fracking fluids are exempt from classification as pollutants (California Fracking, n.d.).” An amendment to the CWA in 1987, exempted mining operations and facilities that carry out any step associated with oil and gas manufacturing from being regulated (Brady, 2012,

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While delving into the advantages and disadvantages of domestic natural oil and gas production I realized that hydraulic fracturing has proven itself to be a valuable asset to the United States economy. In “Fracking: Fix It or Forget It?” by Daniel E. Klein, Daniel shares with his readers that “in the last decade, shale development technologies have become technically and commercially feasible. Pairing horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing, “fracking” has revolutionized the oil and gas outlook as few other industries’ ever have done before. Increased domestic production of both oil and gas has led to enhanced energy security, reduced fuel imports, and improved balanced of payments for the United States.

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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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There are up to 600 dangerous chemicals are used in the technology for the sake of fracking fluid, including the known carcinogens and toxins such as lead, uranium, mercury, ethylene glycol, radium, methanol, hycdrochloric acid, formal dehyde, and so on.. Some of the new technologies are made when they mix a new form of chemical into the water just to make the oil fracking happen. The dangerous chemicals are mixed with the water before injecting it for the oil fracking purposes. Because of the water being mixed with the chemicals, the water became contiminated and there are some effects are made while flowing the water towards into the earth.

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"Hydraulic fracturing, the process of extracting oil or gas by forcing fluids into the ground to fracture shale rocks, at the Eagle Ford Shale Play has produced more oil and natural gas but at the cost of environmental hazards and affect human health. The part of the process that creates the environmental hazards is the fracking fluids that are forced into the ground. For each fracking job, these fluids are comprised of 1 to 8 million gallons of water and 40,000 gallons of chemicals. Some of the 600 chemical carcinogens and toxins in the fracking fluids are lead, radium, uranium, mercury, methanol, hydrochloric acid, ethylene glycol, and formaldehyde. Once the fracking job is done, about 50 to 70 percent of fracking liquids are left in open

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General Concerns Finally, as with any mining or intensive industry, hydraulic fracturing has the potential for noise and light pollution, and environmental degradation from the construction of the site itself and access roads into increasingly remote areas, amplified erosion from land clearing, and habitat disturbance through the means above or the accidental introduction of invasive species though equipment or soil movement (Rahm and Riha, 2012). Political, Economic, and Social Dimensions Political Dimensions Fracking in Colorado has been the source of much legislation and litigation in recent years. Although, “Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper describes the state’s [fracking] regulation as ‘the most comprehensive and stringent’ in

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Since fracking was introduced in 1949, well over 2 million frack treatments have been pumped without a single documented case of treatments polluting a water aquifer (Worstall). This shows that with the correct management and prevention of risks fracking can be seen as a positive. Fracking is also a positive as it dives down gas prices allowing the utilities the American people receive from the gas goes up as they spend less money on it and also fracking has begun to create jobs that are available to Michigan residences. However, many skeptics believe that fracking can be seen as a negative as it pollutes the air and water, thus damaging the Earth. The Earth is already beginning to be negatively impacted by pollution and the burning of greenhouse

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Leaking injection wells may pose a risk--and the science has not kept pace with the growing glut of wastewater. Retrieved from Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-fracking-wastewater-wells-poisoning-ground-beneath-our-feeth/ Trillions of gallons of waste are being pumped down into deep depths of the Earth. This practice is said to be safe and nonharmful for the environment; however, many speculate these wells are unsafe for the air and water. The EPA has given strong guidelines on the wells to protect water and air from becoming polluted. Once ever five years the EPA does inspections of wells to ensure the safety of them, and usually the EPA gives the facility a lot of fines.

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Many people who live near fracking areas are fearful of polluted water, the quality of their land, and the constant noise and light. Fracking wastes tons of water and there are very few restrictions for fracking. In source B, it states that 35 million gallons over water is taken from reservoirs and rivers for fracking mixtures. This could have major effects on the environment; if rivers and reservoirs dry up then there could be droughts and habitats gone. Also, due to the companies not being restricted in sharing there fracking mixture components.

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Even though hydraulic fracturing allows access to more gas and oil, it should be banned because it uses harmful chemicals, pollutes water, causes earthquakes, and is affecting wildlife. While fracking has been going on for many decades, these last ten years has had a spike in publicity. Accusations of hazardous chemicals being used in the waste-water solution has been flying

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Furthermore, the lack of oversight of the chemicals used during the fracking operations at the federal and state level has enhanced the problem by allowing these companies to utilized a vast amount of chemicals that are regulated under the Safe Water Drinking Act, the Clean Air Act and others acts, to be used in complete disregard for the safety and welfare of the citizens and the environment under the assumption that oil dependency is a treat to national security. While placing emphasis in profits and not in the safety of the citizens. My hypothesis is that is the current trends continue, the fresh water resources of the United States will be polluted beyond repair within three

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901 Words | 4 Pages

Fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc., to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas. Fracking takes place in the United states as well as other countries such as China, Canada, Denmark and Saudi Arabia (Dews, F.). Two stakeholders that are involved with this topic include Oil/gas companies and environmentalists. Oil and gas companies are trying to increase the amount of fracking going on to extract as much oil and gas as possible which will increase oil sales and decrease the price of gasoline therefore helping the economy. People who want to protect the environment want to ban fracking due to its negative impacts on the environment.

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Fracking is the process of injecting high pressure fluid deep into the earth to release fossil fuel trapped in shale rock formations. The United States is home to what some estimate to be the world’s largest shale gas reserves. Natural gas now fuels about 40% of the country’s electricity. (Grace Communications Foundation, 2017) While the use of fracking has allowed for lower gas prices, many are concerned with the possible negative environmental and social impacts of hydraulic fracking.

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1169 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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1154 Words | 5 Pages

Hydraulic Fracturing, otherwise known as fracking is the process of injecting large amounts of sand, water, and other chemicals into the shale rocks deep beneath the ground in order to flow natural gas back onto the surface of the well. This process was invented in the early 1900s, and has been controversial ever since. There are two sides to the debate, one being that fracking is known to be horrible for the environment. Fracking has caused families to need to be displaced, and emitted thousands of toxic chemicals into the air causing major public health issues. At the same time, fracking has reduced the reliability on coal, which is known to be horrible for the environment; it has also brought hundreds of thousands of gallons of natural gas

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Researchers have “requested data from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Texas, all states heavily involved in the recent surge of oil and gas drilling, about complaints related to hydraulic fracking for oil and gas” for their research on fracking (Dechert).   The research collected was shocking, over 2,000 complaints in Texas alone and several cases on well water contamination within the states mentioned in Decherd’s article. People need to be alerted about how real fracking is and the damages it is doing. These complaints and cases should be a wakeup call to the world and say that we should put it to a

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