Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a process that is intended to retrieve oil and gas from shale rock that are thousands of feet underground. Throughout the process it creates fractures in the rock that then stimulates the flow of natural gas and oil. The fractures are made by pumping a large amount of fluid at a high pressure down a well and into straight into the rock formation. The fluid that is pumped is typically water, proppant and chemical additives that help open and expand the fractures. This will in return increases the amount that can be recovered, and will allow the wells to be drilled from thousands of feet underground. After the injection part is finished, the internal pressure of the rock formation will cause the …show more content…
The health concerns and the risks of leaks and contamination surrounding the fracking process have made people very cautious in supporting it. This has also caused the United States to create several regulations regarding fracking. Other countries have either banned it completely or have no regulations up to date. Or for example in Quebec, a province in Canada has been predicted to gain from up to $71 to $475 in the next 25 years from shale gas revenues alone. However there is also the factor in whether taxpayers will carry the burden of paying up to four times as much as the revenue that is brought in (Forbes). As a result of the social impacts from fracking, this has also now become a political issue in terms of whether it should be banned or …show more content…
Along with a health concern it creates for those living near a hydraulic fracturing well. The process of fracking turns the rural and natural regions into industrial sectors. It begins to replace our forest and farm lands, while endangering any animals or civilizations around them, as previously stated. Many common symptoms that are experienced among those that live near a fracking site are, fatigue, burning eyes, dermatological irritation, upper respiratory, risk of endocrine disruption, and change in quality of life and sense of well-being. (McDermott-Levy, Kaktins and Sattler).
There is however a slightly positive impact that fracking has on our environment. When the natural gas is fracked thoroughly it gives energy with a notably reduced carbon emissions (Skroupa).
Throughout all of my research it is clear that while "fracking" does have several benefits, I think that the safety concerns outweigh them. Anything that could cause such dangers to our environment will only cause worse problems for our planet in the future. As a result of fracking there has been reported several pollution related incidents in the last 10 years. Pollution is not something we should be taking lightly and be looking for ways to reduce it as much as possible. This process has continuously shown serious environmental harm and even quick research would prove