Since its first commercial uses in the United States in 1950, fracking has been used over 2 million times to access oil and gas that would otherwise be impossible for humans to use. There are pros and cons, like all things, to fracking. Fracking has allowed for a major drop in natural gas prices, having dropped over 47% since 2013. This saves consumers over $181 dollars a year on gas prices. Commercial fracking does pose a problem for soil and drinking water contamination, along with air pollution.
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.
Natural gas is said to be the fuel of the recent future but at this point in time it as a resource that is quickly dwindling. A process called hydraulic fracturing or fracking is being used to access hidden reserves of gas in shale deposits under the ground. The process of fracking isn't new, but is being used more frequently and in more areas as easy-to-access deposits run out. This is where the dispute comes in; is the economic gains of fracking worth the environmental harm it causes? Fracking is too dangerous to risk when finding ways to access natural gas because it can affect water sources, has long lasting effects on the environment, and ruins areas surrounding the well site.
Fracking, it's a term you've probably heard before, referencing a highly controversial method of natural gas extraction that causes immense pollution and should be stopped as soon as the means are available. What is fracking? " Many sandstones, limestones and shales far below ground contain natural gas, which was formed as dead organisms in the rock decomposed. This gas is released, and can be captured at the surface for our use, when the rocks in which it is trapped are drilled" (Meyendorf 1). Basically, rocks deep underground (specifically shale, sandstone and limestone) contain gas that can be burned for energy.
Fracking is a very complex and controversial topic. No matter how complicated it may be, fracking continues to be a common practice by many oil and gas companies around the United States and Canada. Many people have many different opinions about fracking, but the process is not what some claim it to be. Fracking promises a brighter future, but it harms exactly that. Through an analysis of a Facts on Files article, Shattered Ground, and an individual case file, fracking is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
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.
With a boom out of the darkness for oil and gas production with the 1940s technology known as “hydraulic fracturing” or also known as “fracking’ but all this come to “what is fracking?” To answer that basic question: Fracking is the process that involves millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals are being injected into the ground by high amounts of pressure. Fracking is used to dig into deposits and tap into previously unreachable oil and gas reserves. Fracking is widely used in vertical and horizontal drilling in oil reserves. With that question answered let's talk about fracking's impact on everyday lives.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of getting natural gas and oil from shale rock underground. In fracking, companies drill down into the earth. Then, a high pressure mixture of water, sand, and chemicals are shot at the rock to release the gas inside. The whole process gives fossil fuel companies access to previously inaccessible resources of oil and natural gas. Fracking is an important issue because companies see the value of the access to natural gas for the
Activist and other conservationists, however, are advocating for the abolishment of fracking due to its serious environmental and health risks. These pros and cons make it difficult to tell whether fracking is a good or bad technology. There is no denying that fracking is a useful innovation. It can provide massive amounts of natural gas, and it can create thousands of jobs in the United States.
But, here are my three reasons that support the use of fracking in the United States is not harmful. My first reason is, Fracking increases the economic rate of United states, can make United States more dependent and is turning United States into a bigger oil producer than Saudi Arabia. My second reason is, fracking is not a public health risk and can could help our environment to have a better air quality. Finally my third and final reason is, fracking is not contributing to global
Fracking is a phenomenon that has taken the world by storm! Hydraulic Fracturing is the procedure of creating fractures in rocks and rock formations by injecting fluid into cracks to force them further open, releasing oil and natural gas. Even though fracking can be very beneficial it also comes with cons. Fracking is a innovative way to get to those fossil fuels from deep down inside the earth that we use on a day to day basis. In source C (Fracking Explained) it describes how energy consumption in the U.S. has risen with no signs of stopping every since the industrial revolution.
I wrote this essay to stress the dangers of the process of fracking, but also to highlight why fracking could be beneficial to certain companies. Fracking causes lots of controversy across the nation. Raising awareness of the dangers of fracking is very important, and by learning about the process I am convinced we should do everything in our power to stop fracking and look for alternative eco-friendly resources. The many articles I read to research this important topic helped me gain a better understanding of the pros and cons of fracking. I read articles written in Science magazines with authors convinced through their research that fracking is detrimental to mankind and the environment, with research showing toxic chemical levels in the
While yes fracking does bring wealth to former struggling land owners and provides a boost of well-paying jobs to the region, but these jobs are quite unstable. According to www.bloomberg.com fracking wells production decline by 60% to 70% within the first year alone. Some wells do last for decades but others can last only up to a year which provides only a temporary boost to the local economy. Also if any accidents occur they cost tens of thousands of dollars to rectify. According to the website www.environmentamerica.org if fracking were to contaminate the New York City watershed it would cost up to about 6 billion
The search for new, clean energy has been going on for a number of years with a plethora of ideas and innovations as evidence. One of the biggest and most talked about alternative energy sources is natural gas. Found in shale beds underground, natural gas is obtained by a process called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as it’s more commonly known, that breaks apart the rock by using high pressurized chemicals. Though it has been a known process for some time, the argument of whether fracking is worthwhile is still going strong. Some believe the risk it brings to the environment is too high, while others think the positives outrank the negatives.
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:
