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The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

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Introduction
News outlets often use cherry-picked scientific findings as a way to grant credibility to the information they are ‘reporting’, thus making it confusing to the viewer on whether the information is politically motivated or unbiased. Scientists have an invisible halo atop them in mainstream media, and they are frequently cited in regards to important policies that have significant ramifications. It’s common for media outlets and politicians to take research conducted by scientists and display it as a fact without proper context with the intention of misleading, additionally companies also regularly hire ‘scientists’ to justify that it meets proper regulations. A contemporary example of this is the manner in which hydraulic fracturing …show more content…

Everyone has different experiences, values, morals and therefore their opinions are unique as a function of that. In Western society, people have the option to align with whichever political party they agree with the most, with the two major parties being liberal and conservative (also: left sided and right sided). It’s becoming a common occurrence for political representatives to use science as a method to protect their policy. In regards to fracking, liberals are generally not fond with the environmental destruction that fracking causes despite its prospects, whereas conservatives believe the economic gain outweighs the potential dangers. The debate of the continuance of fracking is an ongoing battle between the dichotomous parties, and politicians are using science to back up their …show more content…

His sources are primarily governmental studies, which implies there is merit in what he is saying, nevertheless Nikiforuk uses science as an effective method to defend his argument. One of his largest concerns with fracking is the contamination it has on groundwater. Nikiforuk uses real world examples several times as a measure to further emphasize his point, a notable one being the case of Jessica Ernst, a woman whose water supply was contaminated so much that it could catch fire. Nikiforuk uses scientific evidence to further justify his

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The article Gasland Debunked and the documentary “Gasland” discuss the very controversial topic of “fracking.” According to the beliefs of Josh Fox, fracking is extremely dangerous to the environment and the Earth’s groundwater supply. Contrary to this, the article Gasland Debunking claims that Fox is trying to portray untrue words as facts. In the article Gasland Debunked, there are many pros to how the article was written.

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Fracking is another source of fuel, decreasing a city’s dependency on foreign oil. Fracking doesn’t cost much because it is produced locally. The amount of jobs in the oil industry has almost doubled due to fracking. However, fracking requires between one and eight million gallons of water for each fracking site. This water contains many hazardous chemicals and can possibly contaminate the environment.

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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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He explicitly states that fracking to obtain natural gas has the potential to solve all of the world’s major problems. Since the essay relies on statistics and is published in “Scholarly Commons” of the George Washington University Law School, his paper seems academic. However, with multiple readings, it seems persuasive because it highlights the benefits of natural gas without giving any space to possible environmental impacts. Because fracking is divisive, it is telling that the essay provides only one side of the debate.

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Fracking has become a major issues not only in the United States, but throughout the world. With the recent fracking boom in North America, ranging from south central Canada to Texas, the topic has become more of a controversy. There is a thin line balancing the environmental and economic impact. In the end, fracking adjusts to both sides and should be implemented around the globe. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is the process of sending high pressure fluid mixtures, made up of water, sand, and chemical additives, to created hairline fractures in rocks.

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What The Frack, an anti-fracking video campaign showcasing an array of entertainers, including Lance Bass, Daryl Hannah, Hayden Panettiere, Marissa Tormei and Wilmer Valderrama, recently received a rebuttal from the common man. “Celebrities; You don’t know what the Frack you are talking about” was the Western Alliance’s response. This video features no celebrities, just folks who appear to work in the oil and gas industry touting fracking’s safety record and importance of providing low cost energy to homes all across the U.S specifically at a time when Americans need a break. They point out that fracking has been used for over six decades. The “frack and forth” is the direct result of environmental groups crying wolf about expanding energy technologies in states like Colorado,tSorry Hollywood, this is not a movie, it’s the

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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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The huge think for individuals to know whether organizations are fracking or not, as organizations are likely not going to promote it. As the input circle will demonstrate organizations beginning to rehash forms. As each circumstance will be marginally unique because of open and social convictions and areas, fracking turns into an evil issue. The most ideal approach to take care

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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).

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Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, states that, “The EPA’s water quality study confirms what millions of Americans already know—that dirty oil and gas fracking contaminates drinking water” and that “the EPA chose to leave many critical questions unanswered” (Malewitz). It is critical that the EPA works with the general public to answer every question so that we can begin to work together to understand the complexity of this

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For example, “Given too that UGOD (unconventional gas and oil development) is exempt from other federal provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA), Clean Air Act (CAA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as well as several Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations related to hazardous waste disposal, the degree of water and soil contamination caused by fracking is largely unknown to the public” (Ladd, Anthony., York, Richard pg. 6). The issue with fracking is that the process can be done in a cleaner matter, yet fracking is exempt from multiple federal environmental regulations and legislation because there isn’t scientific evidence that proves that hydraulic fracturing is dangerous and harms the environment, according to politicians. It is our hope that politicians will review this letter to understand that the EPA has announced its findings that hydraulic fracturing is contaminating the atmosphere and underground water aquifers. During the process of hydraulic fracturing, “3.6-7.2 percent of all methane gas obtained from the fracking process is lost into the atmosphere via the well completion and transportation” (Tollefson). The mining of the well is the main contributer to the 1.9% of released methane emissions, which is why some scientists believe conventional gas is better than fracking for shale gas.

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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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These reports also say that these people do not want them to keep fracking because of the damages it has caused. Not too long ago, they started research on fracking and how it may be associated with earthquakes. Although studies show that it’s a rare occurrence, it still has a negative impact in the

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Dr. Marty Klein Recap: Legitimate scientific research is often discounted by politicos proclaiming that the issue is “controversial” even when there is a clear-cut consensus among recognized scientists. Consider the so-called debates about the harmful effects of tobacco or climate change, or how IUDs and emergency contraceptives work. Combined, those high-profile issues (and others--fluoride in city water, etc.) are often identified as issues of phony controversy--as they were in a National Geographic magazine cover story, “The War on Science” (March, 2015). For a good example of that ploy we also have Jeb Bush’s (a potential 2016 presidential candidate) comments about climate change. Bush said that “he wasn’t a scientist” but nevertheless he believes the “science” of human-caused climate change was “convoluted,” and questioned the degree to which carbon emissions are responsible.

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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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