Hydraulic fracturing (Fracking) and tar sands are very controversial subjects in the United States and around the world. Currently there are many organizations opposed to fracking and extraction of tar sands due their environmental impacts. It has been reported that they are linked to increased water pollution as well as the production of pollution that has been linked to global warming. Right or wrong we owe ourselves and the future generations that will inhabit this earth concrete evidence whether these practices are safe. Fracking is the process of drilling into the earth then injecting a high-pressure water and chemical mixture into the well. The water mixture then forces the oil and natural gas out of the bedrock and shale up the well for collection. Hydraulic fracturing is a …show more content…
The only country currently producing oil from tar sands is Canada. The refining of tar sands oil is considered to produce the most pollution out of any energy production in the world. The plans for the Keystone XL pipeline is to transport the oil produced in Canada to the Gulf Coast of the United States. In comparison fracking seems to have less of impact on the environment and local populations of humans and animals than the production tar sands oil. There are two primary concerns that could effect a water supply of communities in close proximity to fracking sites. When a site is identified, an oil company will begin drilling vertically until they reach the bedrock or shale deposits, then they will begin to drill horizontally. Water is then shipped to the drilling site where it is then mixed with chemicals and shot down the well at high pressure to push out the oil deposits in the shale. The chemicals that are mixed with the water to flush out the oil and natural gas deposits are harmful to humans and other living