Prior to watching Gasland 2 and Truthland, I am familiar with the term “fracking” but never took the time to look into it. After watching these two films, I realized how fracking is a controversial topic in the world of environmentalists. These two very different films explain how fracking is effecting the environment around us. Before explaining further into these films, we need to know what fracking really means. Fracking is “a process by which the rock is split so that natural gas can flow to the surface,” defined by Terry Engelder, a professor of geosciences at Penn State University.
SUMMARY Journalist, Nick Stockton, in the article, “Fracking’s Problems Go Deeper Than Water Pollution,” published in June 2015, addresses the topic of hydraulic fracturing and argues that fracking has more negative consequences than one might think. Stockton supports his claim first by appealing emotionally through a short summary of a recent event involving fracking and also by utilizing evidence to back up his statements. The author’s overall purpose is to highlight outcomes of fracking in order to make more people aware of issues that can arise from this common way of obtaining energy. Stockton utilizes a scientific, yet critical tone in order to create an unbiased article and appeal to his audience’s concern for the well being of the
What is fracking? Fracking is the process of drilling into the ground and releasing a high-pressure water mixture into rocks in order to fracture them and release the natural gases inside. The water mixture consists of water, sand and chemicals. Fracking is beneficial because it lowers the prices of oil and gas, reduces America’s dependency on foreign oil, and reduces CO2 contribution.
FRACKING AND ITS CRITICISM Since the mid-80s, The First Nations and their leaders have raised numerous concerns about the failure of the government and industries in Canada to properly consult them before developing any of their lands. Fracking is a technique used in stimulating the fracturing of rocks through the use of pressurized liquid. The fluid used comprises of hot water, sand, and proppants that are thickened using appropriate agents. The fluid enters the deep-rock and makes it possible to have natural gas, petroleum and brine flow up. If the pressure is removed, the grains in the proppants are capable of keeping the fractures while open.
Below the surface there are large formations of sandstone, limestone, and shale deposits. These rocks contain natural gas and were formed by dead organisms as they decompose. Fracking then comes into use to fracture the rocks and release the gases inside. Fracking has been used in the U.S. since
A controversial engineering issues that has people on both sides fighting for and against it is fracking. Fracking or by its actual name “hydraulic fracturing is a type or drilling that involces safely tapping shale and other tight-rock formations by drilling a mile or more below the surface before gradually turning horizontal and continuing several thousand feet more using high pressured water, sand and chemicals” (BBC UK). The high pressure of the mixture will create small cracks on the surface of the material that they are trying to mine, and the purpose of the sand is to keep the cracks from closing back in so that the pressure of the mixture can bring the material up. The material that is mined through fracking is gas and oil. Fracking on one side of the battle is very important to the US energy because it is allowing us to produce our oil fuel supplies
Fracking is a method of extracting natural gas from the earth. A hole is dug deep into the earth. This hole is one to two miles deep (Life Science). The hole also needs to be encased in some strong material so high elevation ground water doesn’t leak in. Once the hole is fully enclosed, high pressured water is shot deep underground (Life Science).
It involves high-pressure injections of water and chemicals into rock formations, which in turn release natural gas (Thompson, “Hydraulic Fracturing Should Be Banned”). However, fracking can result in many negative outcomes. For instance, scientists who conducted the earthquake study for Geology discovered that not only did fracking cause the biggest earthquake in Oklahoma, but it also caused more earthquakes in states that hardly experienced any seismic activity (“Wastewater Injection Spurred Biggest Earthquake Yet, Says Study,” The Earth Institute Columbia University). In fact, quakes have hit so frequently in Oklahoma, that state and oil regulators decided to shut down five disposal wells due to the increasing number of earthquakes in a city named Cushing (“Oil Regulators Shut Down Two Disposal Wells After Earthquakes Near Cushing”, State Impact: NPR).
By fracking for natural gas and shifting from coal to natural gas power generation plants, we could benefit economically, save our environment, and save millions of gallons of
Proposition P================ Propostion P was advanced by an advocacy group known as the Santa Barbara Water Guardians, mainly to prohibit the usage of hydraulic fracturing (i.e fracking) within Santa Barbara, threatening its water supply. As such, Proposition P is absolutely essential, not only to ensuring the health of residents in Santa Barbara, but to ensuring long term social, economic, and environmental stability. Where opponents to Proposition P may tend to make arguments which solely favor the number of jobs in the community, or which perhaps presume the importance of the oil industry in Santa Barbara, over other concerns in the community, these other concerns need to be considered more fully in order to illustrate why support of Proposition P is absolutely essential.================
Fracking: A Crime against Humanity As a law abiding citizen, I cannot conceive or be an advocate of fracking, without questioning its impact on Earth’s layers; and its role in the increment of frequency of earthquakes, contamination of water, and the related human health hazards. While fracking is helping the U.S. to extract shale gas, which is basically trapped between fine sedimentary rocks, the liabilities are overwhelming. In the field of fossil fuel, these rocks are well-known as stale and its exploitation is supporting American’s population, in obtaining the most needed fossil fuel. Deplorably, the risks seem unbeatable.
I am really neutral on the issue. I know there are benefits to fracking for natural gas. It is better for the climate than fossil fuels, and it is cheaper. What I do not know is the extent of the damages it can potentially cause. It is a relatively new practice, and enough time has not passed to cause justification or condemnation.
1. Introduction 1.1 What is hydraulic fracturing? Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is the process of drilling down into the earth’s surface, followed by a high-pressure water mixture, which is directed at the rocks to release the gas and oil that is inside of them. Furthermore water, sand, chemicals and other substances are injected into the rock at a high pressure, in order to allow the gas in the rock to flow out and up to the top of the fracking wells.
People complain about pollution from factories, cars, global warming, and the melting of polar ice caps, yet many people disregard the dangerous that come with fracking. Fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, and/or boreholes to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas. Fracking is causing an epidemic economically and environmentally. Fracking is continuously destroying the earth day by day. From the endless fracking today’s economy is depleting.
Since the United States will be getting their own natural gases from fracking then that means the “United States will not have to buy and import natural gases from other countries, saving money in the process” (Rogowsky) therefore the “United States will become more independent and not rely on other countries” (Rogowsky). This is important because the people of the United States will also be able to save money because “the gas prices for cars will go down significantly as the gas supply goes up” (Rogowsky). Not only this, but the prices for medicine are sure to decline as well, “natural gases are an important chemical feedstock in some packaging medicine” (Rogowsky). With fracking, the medicine prices will take a dive also resulting in the American people saving money. With the increase of fracking there will be a higher supply of gas and medicine, which makes the prices decrease and people will save
