The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

Fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc., to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas. Fracking takes place in the United states as well as other countries such as China, Canada, Denmark and Saudi Arabia (Dews, F.). Two stakeholders that are involved with this topic include Oil/gas companies and environmentalists. Oil and gas companies are trying to increase the amount of fracking going on to extract as much oil and gas as possible which will increase oil sales and decrease the price of gasoline therefore helping the economy. People who want to protect the environment want to ban fracking due to its negative impacts on the environment. Gas and oil companies seem to be

Petroleum is what companies use to make gasoline for your car. Using a new approach to split underground shale formations, it has tremendously expanded gas and oil output in not only the U.S. but other countries as well (Dews, F.). As Other counties have been increasing fracking, Saudi Arabia is no longer in control of the oil market. Because of this, the U.S. can produce its own oil and gasoline. As a result, these companies don’t have to buy oil and gas from other countries which causes gasoline prices to be lower, and the American economy to be better. Increased fracking has also led to over 1.7 million jobs being created and a total of 3.5 million jobs being created predicted by the year 2035 (Lyderson, K.). New jobs are being created in states that don’t even contain shale deposits (Lyderson, K). These new jobs that are being created are also good for the economy. Also, Natural gas prices have dropped 47 percent since 2013 (Mcgraw, S.). Gas bills have dropped $13 billion per year from 2007 to 2013 because of increased fracking. To put this in perspective, that adds up to about $200 per year for gas-consuming households (Mcgraw, S.). Gasoline has been dropping to under $2 per gallon. Last time gas was this cheap was in

First, fracking uses enormous amounts of water mixed with many different toxic chemicals to create frack fluid (Fracking’s Environmental Impacts. This fluid is tainted by things that exist naturally in shale such as different kinds of metals and radioactive element (Fracking’s Environmental Impacts). Some of the frack fluid returns to the upper layer of the surface, where it can be dumped or spilled into rivers, streams and other bodies of water. The water that is underground can also be affected by fracking. Gas and frack fluid can seep into underground reservoirs of water. Toxic substances that are a result of frack fluid, waste water and pollution from trucks can all cause many different negative health effects. Some of these negative health symptoms include respiratory problems, eye irritation, and headaches. Most people who experience these symptoms are residents that live near fracking sites for long periods of time (Fracking’s Environmental Impacts). This can also have a negative impact on the economy because it raises health care costs to reduced productivity and workplace absenteeism (“The Costs of Fracking.”). Air pollution from gas drilling in Arkansas’ Fayetteville Shale region imposed estimated public health costs of more than $10 million in 2008 (“The Costs of Fracking.”). Fracking also produces air pollution that contributes to the formation of ozone