Fracking allows the United States to be less dependent on foreign oils and finding other local sources of energy. Now there are roughly 35,000 natural gas wells in the United States. A local community
alone, a well can be fracked up to 18 times total, 300,000 barrels of natural gas are produced each day, and the U.S. is the number one producer of natural gas in the world. Natural gas has many perks, some examples are an increase in jobs, a lower amount of pollution, and less dependency on foreign oil. However, there are an abundance of cons that go with all of these pros. Some cons are: an abundance of water usage, water contamination, a large amount of chemical usage, and seismic activity.
With a boom out of the darkness for oil and gas production with the 1940s technology known as “hydraulic fracturing” or also known as “fracking’ but all this come to “what is fracking?” To answer that basic question: Fracking is the process that involves millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals are being injected into the ground by high amounts of pressure. Fracking is used to dig into deposits and tap into previously unreachable oil and gas reserves. Fracking is widely used in vertical and horizontal drilling in oil reserves. With that question answered let's talk about fracking's impact on everyday lives.
Fracking, in short terms, is the way that energy companies extract oil and gas from the Earth. Companies prefer fracking, because fracking is the easiest and most cost-efficient way to extract oil and gas from the Earth. The Lansing State Journal reports that “Michigan started fracking in the 1960s, and by far the state has done a great job at making sure the process does not hurt the residents of the state or their property (“Exposing Myths…” par.18).” Michigan has done a great job so far making sure all the regulations concerning hydraulic fracturing are followed, but who’s to say that the energy companies will continue to follow
Fracking is a phenomenon that has taken the world by storm! Hydraulic Fracturing is the procedure of creating fractures in rocks and rock formations by injecting fluid into cracks to force them further open, releasing oil and natural gas. Even though fracking can be very beneficial it also comes with cons. Fracking is a innovative way to get to those fossil fuels from deep down inside the earth that we use on a day to day basis. In source C (Fracking Explained) it describes how energy consumption in the U.S. has risen with no signs of stopping every since the industrial revolution.
Rocks such as shale which are situated about 2.000 feet below the earth’s surface us contain natural gas. To reach these layers, a horizontal well-like construction is built to reach down to the rocks. Then a fluid is pumped into the layers under high pressure, causing the rocks to ‘fracture’ and release their natural oil and gas. Having a method like this to access more natural gas, will definitely save us a few years in finding new and more affordable ways to produce energy. Though, having this method readily available might slow down research for alternative energy sources.
With that knowledge and knowing that Marcellus Shale operation planned to construct up to 200,000 new wells, means that 190,000 leaky wells could very well be in operation in one year (Nikiforuk 24). Now there are some arguing that it’s just as, if not worse than fracking. Jeff Tollefson, states that methane pollution in the air is just as bad. “[there is] hard evidence that the cleanest-burning fossil fuel might not be much better than coal when it comes to climate change” (1). He continues by saying “methane is some 25 times more efficient than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere” (2).
The Marcellus Shale region is particularly attractive to gas drillers because it's a rich supply of natural gas — some call it "the Saudi Arabia of natural gas" or "Frackistan" — and because many of the region's rural communities are economically depressed and eager to attract an energy industry that enjoys handsome profits. How safe is fracking? Proponents of fracking claim that the drilling technique is a safe and clean method of securing essential sources of power that will meet U.S. energy needs for
Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, consists of injecting water together with chemical and sand into a reservoir well at high pressure, which cause fractures in the target rock layer; the fractures of the rock allows the oil and gas to flow through the pipe. Fracking differs from the traditional drilling method; the traditional drilling is done vertically while fracking is drilled horizontally. Proponents of this procedure allege
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,
Hydraulic Fracturing Hydraulic fracturing is a process to extract oil or gas from a well. This drilling process has been used for approximately sixty-five years. It first began in the 1940’s. Hydraulic fracturing is also known as Fracking, where millions of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to break apart the rock, which releases natural gas (Schmidt).
Fracking gives us the opportunity to have natural gas and not only that but it would give us the upper hand politically as we won’t be as obedient to them as they want us to be because they know we NEED them. Whether you like it or not, fracking is somewhat safe and I don’t say this as my opinion because it is proved and said by the gas industry. It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t list the cons though. Source B also states “...
Fracking, a method is known as a way to generate less harmful impact on our environment is actually a method that might lower the amounts of Carbon in the air but greatly does much damage to the communities in which Fracking takes place. Developed in 1947, the idea of Fracking became popular in use by the end of the 1990’s and then became an adopted use under the Obama administration and other countries(Hydraulic Fracturing, J. Mcbride). Hydraulic Fracturing or what is known as Fracking is a process in which huge amounts of water, sand, chemicals, and other materials are packed in shale formation and infused into the ground. The pressure from the combination is able to fracture rocks below the earth's surface which frees the gas confined inside.
While fracking has been a more efficient and cleaner process, there are many dangers that come along with this process which many people overlook. With many countries including the United States using fracking, it is still on going method that many still use today. With this, there are many pros and cons that come along with fracking. This has been a
The process of fracking allows humans to extract the colorless, shapeless and odorless gas and oil when it is in its original form, which is later on used for electric power, in industries, in vehicles and in other important worldwide makings. Finally, the significance of fracking in the United States has clearly become leading to macroeconomists to state that the country is changing from a “net importer” to a “net exporter” of oil and gas over the coming years. Table 1: " What Is Fracking and Why Is It Controversial? - BBC News.
