Fracking is the process of injecting high pressure fluid deep into the earth to release fossil fuel trapped in shale rock formations. The United States is home to what some estimate to be the world’s largest shale gas reserves. Natural gas now fuels about 40% of the country’s electricity. (Grace Communications Foundation, 2017) While the use of fracking has allowed for lower gas prices, many are concerned with the possible negative environmental and social impacts of hydraulic fracking. Noise and air pollution, increased number of earthquakes, and contamination of groundwater are the major concerns caused by fracking. However, if all fracking were to be immediately discontinued the economic impact would be severe. Gas prices have always been a source for contention. Every summer as the weather warms up more people are travelling and just as families are setting out for their vacation destinations the gas prices rise. This year the oil industry responded to the higher prices from 2016 by activating more than 250 additional drilling rigs, mostly to drill horizontal, hydraulically-fractured wells in the large oil shale plays resulting in a lower price paradigm. (Blackmon, 2017) Higher demand was met by an increased supply, but along with it an even greater risk to the environment. While fracking has had a positive impact on the price of …show more content…
These tanks often emit toxic substances into the air or leak their contents into the ground, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene and toluene. People who live on or near properties with gas wells say they have experienced an array of health effects from exposure to high concentrations of these chemicals. (Adler, 2014) Exposure to VOCs can cause nose, eye, and throat irritation and even more serious complications such as damage to the liver and