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The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

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For years the world had wanted to be able to harness the natural gases found in shale. Often small amounts were able to be released but, not very efficiently. In July of 1947 in Hugoton, Kansas the first hydraulic fracturing experiment was performed by Stanolind Oil & Gas Company. “Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside.” Natural gas is harnessed for many kinds of energy such as heat, electricity, and fuel. 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 …show more content…

When considering whether or not a local board of supervisors should grant a warrant of land to a fracking company they must consider whether the number of jobs it will provide and the profits that they will receive are worth the environmental destruction and danger to the welfare of the people. The fracking industry could bring economic prosperity to the county. Fracking provides a cheaper energy source and would cause gasoline prices to lower. “In the United States gas bills have dropped $13 billion per year from 2007 to 2013 as a result of increased fracking, which adds up to $200 per year for gas-consuming households. Moreover, all types of energy consumers, including commercial, industrial, and electric power consumers, saw economic gains totaling $74 billion per year from increased fracking.” As well as the gas prices dropping revenue would increase from the fracking plant and would provide an increase in budget for other county functions …show more content…

While the spill of chemicals and large gas emissions poses a greater threat to the public due to higher concentrations of toxins, chemicals such as hydrochloric acid; muriatic acid; hydroxyethyl cellulose; glutaraldehyde; petroleum distillate; ammonium bisulfate; 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid; N Dimethylformamide; ethylene glycol; 2-butoxyethanol; fluorocarbons; naphthalene; butanol; or formaldehyde are often released to the surface. (law) The chemical 2-butoxyethanol ("EGBE") is a major of concern to human health. Millions of gallons of EGBE are released in waste products over the years and are absorbed by inhalation, ingestion, or dermal exposure. “Numerous toxicity concerns are associated with EGBE, including nose and eye irritations, headaches, vomiting, breathing problems, low blood pressure, lowered levels of hemoglobin, blood in urine, and metabolic acidosis.” (law) “The few existing studies available show that exposure to air pollutants, toxic chemicals, metals, radiation, noise and light pollution cause a range of diseases, illnesses, and health problems.” (law) These negative effects will directly impact those living closely to drilling and increase the risk of problems affecting the skin, eyes, and other sensory organs; brain and nervous system; gastrointestinal tract, liver, and kidneys; and the immune system. Decreases in health such as cancer,

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In a journal article by the Human and Ecological Risk Assessment a list of 632 chemicals that are used in the process of fracking was compiled, finding 75% of the chemicals could affect the eyes, skin, and other organs. 40-50% could affect the brain/nervous system, the immune and cardiovascular systems, 37% could affect the endocrine system (which produce hormones from various glands), and 25% could cause

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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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For one to decide whether fracking is making positive or negative influence on our economy, environment and health there are many things I must be considered and researched. Does the economic benefit out weigh the harm it is causing to our environment and the potential harm it could cause to our health. ? Works Cited "The Economic Benefits of Fracking." The Brookings Institution.

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And that’s not it, production is set to double over the next few years. In California, 97% of fracking takes place in areas under high water stress (40-80% of water already reserved for the city). Over One-Third of fracking, takes place in areas of groundwater depletion. Many states have taken the liberty of regulating household water use, but have payed very little attention to the fracking companies who use billions of gallons of water to literally “split rocks”. Fracking companies try to point out that they recycle as much water as possible, but studies show they only recycle about 5%.

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“Because of shale and fracking, the International Energy Agency projects that the U.S. could become the world’s leading oil producer by 2015” (Energy). This is very important to the United States economy because it not only lowers the fuel price that were astronomically high, it will also allow us in the future to sell it to other companies to make a profit since United States is the leading producer of natural gas in the worlds. Fracking is a lengthy process to get approved because it is mining fuel with a mixture that contains chemical, and if something were to fail a lot of land will get polluted and destroyed for any future agriculture. One argument that anti-fracking committees have addressed is that, “Fracking pollutes our air and drinking water, hurts communities, worsens climate change, and is linked to earthquakes. It is unacceptable that the oil and gas industry profits off fracking at our expense.

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In today’s global fight for the growing demand of energy and promotion of saving energy, fracking has become very controversial. The dangers to our society and health are at the forefront in conducting safer practices. To obtain the natural gas, fracking or hydraulic fracking must be conducted. Fracking is defined as blasting high-pressure water, sand, and chemicals deep underground, and allowing the formations to fracture. This practice releases the natural gas out of the formations and is used for power.

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This controversy has posed the question of the ways in which fracking has affected the

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"All chemicals used in the fracking process have common applications from swimming pool cleaners and laundry detergents to cosmetics, and even ice cream. " Researchers argue that although there has been much concern over polluted drinking water because of the chemical additives used in fracking, the process is safe and public health is not at risk. In fact, the study explains, many of the chemical additives used in the fracking process are regulated by the state and have common household

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Since the industrial revolution,oil energy consumption has risen considerably. The majority of this energy consumption is supplied by fossil fuel like coal and natural gas. For some time,there has been a lot of talk about the controversial method of extracting natural gas i.e Fracking or Hydraulic fracturing. In simple words,Fracking describes recovery of natural gas from the deep layers inside the earth. In this method porous rock is fractured with the use of water,sand and chemicals in order to release the enclosed natural gas.

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Families shouldn't have to abandon their livelihood like this in order to satiate a company’s desire for more profits. Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon, and many residential areas are turned into industrial sites, leaving some without anywhere else to go. Communities still intact near fracking sites are also affected heavily by their presence. More recently in 2015, a Texas neighborhood of 100 homes was forced to evacuate when over 42,000 gallons of fracking fluid flooded the

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Legislation also exempted fracking from the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act. It is because of this that hydraulic fracking uses up to 300 tons of a mixture of 750 chemicals in every well. Some of these chemicals emit vapors that can cause eye irritation, headache, and fatigue. Also, in many cases, a high enough dose can be fatal. BTEX compounds, which are made up of benzene, toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene, are extremely dangerous.

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Moreover, we must vote to stop corporate welfare for fossil fuel companies; and request that our government effectively support renewable energy. In addition, the economic relief should go directly to the poor and middle class citizens, in a form of vouchers that allow more Americans to buy solar or wind systems. A more reliable solution should be that California’s government provide a solar or wind system per house and give us the opportunity to pay it, in low monthly installments. Perhaps a 2% interest will help us and generate profits for the state, at the same time. Our government must stop making the rich richer and poor poorer.

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After watching the documentary, there is no doubt that natural gas drilling is destroying our environment. For instance, hydraulic fracturing produces large amounts of wastewater, which may contain dissolved chemicals and other contaminants that require treatment before disposal or reuse (EIA, 2014). Furthermore, the chemicals used in the process can contaminate surrounding areas if they are released by spills, leaks, faulty well construction, or other exposure

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Our natural resources are at risk every time fracking occurs. Fracking needs to be banned since it is hurting our health and that it drains our natural and limited resources required for us to sustain life.    Water is an essential to living and it is a need. Without it we would be dead from the dehydration. Fracking in this case can contaminate it to where we cannot drink it and if we do it can lead to death or a trip to the hospital:

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Hydraulic Fracturing or fracking has gained a lot of media attention in recent years with a Hollywood movie, “Promise Land”, focusing on the issue. One place where fracking has come up is in New Brunswick, where there is a large shale reservoir. In New Brunswick, as in other areas of North America where fracking is possible, there is heated debate on whether the investment would be made in this industry. One perspective is that of shale gas industry which promotes fracking as a method to collect shale gas. On the other side of the debate are environmental groups, who point to the harm fracking can cause to the environment.

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