Hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as fracking, is a 60 year old practice of pumping high pressure water into shale rock thousands of feet below the earth’s surface. The pressurized water is pumped through cement encased pipes at pressures reaching 9000 pounds per square inch. The treated water is forced into small cracks in the gas-rich shale rock, resulting in the breaking of the rock and the release of natural gas that would otherwise be unobtainable. Hydraulic fracturing is a safe, economically efficient way to drill for natural gas, create jobs, and lessen America’s dependency on foreign oil.…
will be, policy must be put in place to ensure the potential damage to local communities is…
I knew that fracking was a contentious issue to say the least, and I have always held some degree of disdain towards big oil companies so I cannot say I was unbiased at the outset. My initial perception while watching Gasland was that this industry might actually help the communities mentioned in the film, however, I changed my tack very quickly when I began to think about how fracking makes inequality even worse, a sad truth, but an evident one. In that way, my perception of communities affected by fracking was unjustified and wrong. Though my perception of fracking communities was wrong, my perception of oil companies was galvanized further. It is obvious that these massive corporations are only out for profit, which is an obvious truth, but one that is hugely important. They do not care about who they are driving out of their homes, what they are doing to vulnerable communities or what happens when they leave. The bottom line is the only thing that matters and if worsening inequality is the price, then they have no problem paying it. My perception of people paid off by these companies is harmful because my initial thought was that this was a good thing for less fortunate people, when it clearly is not. The mistake in my perception of big oil companies is that the damage caused cannot be reversed, and that they are unstoppable, when the power to stop them is very much in the hands of the average person. The environmental effects are no doubt horrible, but I feel as though the social effects must be discussed more in order to make the changes necessary to put an end to…
Hydraulic fracturing, which is also known as fracking, is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to relase the natural gas inside. Many believe that fracking should be banned due to the cancerous chemicals that are injected into the shale rocks, which contaminates the water that we drink and runs into our homes.…
Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, has been a hot topic of debate in the United States of America since its inception in 1947 and first well drill in 1949. The United States was the first country to perform hydraulic fracturing to tap into a previously unavailable resource, natural gases deep underground in very small micro veins that spider web across a large area. The concerns are, and have included, most importantly health concerns and tax revenues. Controversy and a big difference between the local citizens and the oil companies has brought this topic to a heated debate. Citizens become increasingly concerned about health issues and damaged environments. Therefore discussing these subjects is becoming increasingly difficult.…
My name is Santiago Arellano, and I am a resident of Broomfield Colorado. I would like to present my opinion on the North Park Hydraulic Fracturing. Hydraulic Fracturing is a very ingenious way of removing oil from the deep Shale, which we have been unable to reach. This method, also known as Fracking, is also very small. It starts out with a drill rig and a holding tank for the first 3 months, but then once the well is dug, it looks like another oil drill, and will continue to draw oil from the ground for the next 20-30 years. Fracking involves the use of radioactive materials, explosives, and hazardous chemicals. I believe that, as Fracking becomes more popular, and less scrutinized, the watch over it will become less strict, and these materials will leak into groundwater, or into our rivers and lakes.…
Hydraulic fracturing experimentation started in 1947 and it had its first commercially successful applications by 1949, so it has been around for a long time. In twenty-thirteen, it is estimated that well over sixty five percent of all new oil and gas wells worldwide are using the process of hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, has allowed the United States to tap into domestic sources of natural gas and oil that were previously not economical to extract from such as shale beds. This has created numerous economic benefits for communities and governments in a time of economic instability.…
Fracking is increasing in the U.S., but with this increase of natural gas comes an increase of safety concerns. The process of hydraulic fracking requires chemicals that can affect the families that live nearby. These chemicals also affect the environment on the land and in the air. With fracking there comes its positives and its negatives, some good and some bad. There are very few regulations on how fracking can be done, but in the regulations there isn't much help. Fracking for natural gas needs to be further regulated before it can continue.…
The article “Fuel Fight” (Adams, 2012) stated that fracking is a new technology that can get access to the new energy resource. It has many advantages for the U.S. but some organizations disagree with fracking project. The author mentioned that a lot of energy, which is being used in the U.S., is imported from many countries all over the world. For example, Canada, Mexico and Venezuela and Iraq are the primary oil exporters to the U.S. and more than half amount of oil that the U.S. uses is imported from those countries. Adam also mentioned that the U.S. energy companies are trying to…
So many people these days are stuck in the ways of their own opinions. They believe the first thing they hear on a topic and stick with it. So close-minded that they won’t even listen to someone else’s opinion before they begin to argue. A popular topic that people are stuck on is hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Either people think it’s great or they hate it. Before you have an opinion on it, what exactly is this “fracking?”…
Alberta is mostly known for the production of oil and gas, besides agriculture, forestry, and manufacturing. Many people know that the oil industry is hurting us but probably not in the way it is killing us. Fracking causes cancer, organ damage, and death. In order to get a typically fracked well these companies are required to use between 55 Thousand and 220 Thousand litres of chemicals. The Government and companies are tricking us into thinking that the fracking process is a natural occurring inconvenience, and in no…
First, “while supporters of fracking talk about cheap energy it provides, they don’t mention its real cost.” (Salmon City Post 35). Although fracking makes the cost of energy go down it causes a lot more bad than good to happen in the world. Moreover, “Each fracking job requires anywhere from one to eight million gallons of water, with one-half million wells in the United States, that’s seventy two million gallons of water used per year.” (Salmon City…
As the mayor of the town, I find fracking to be a beneficial factor to us. Even though fracking isn’t a completely safe way to obtain natural gas, I believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Because our town is small, it is important to come up with ways to make our community expand and develop. By fracking, we’ll be able to create more jobs and increase the employment rates. Research had shown that in Watford City in Western North Dakota the employment rates had increased and also grew exponentially. In Watford City, Mayor Brent Stanford has stated that he is for fracking. According to National geographic, Power Fuels, a Watford City company that focuses on transporting oil and other fluids had increased from having only 50 staffs to having 1,200 staffs in four different towns. Not only that, roads were being repaired and improved, new businesses are opened, elementary schools expanded and hospitals being built. In 2007, in North Dakota 15,500 workers were employed by private companies. In 2012, over 21,000 workers were employed and it’s expected to rise. I believe a small town like ours will grow and expand where unemployment rates will decrease and home values will increase. Local tax returns will help schools and other social programs upgrade. Fracking also helps economically to save up money. According to Texstar Oil, Pennsylvania went from $176 million to over $426 million in the past 5 years from 2006-2011. North Dakota received over $1 billion in oil tax returns with a budget of $4.1 billion in 2011-2012. By us allowing fracking, we’ll be able to save up a lot of money from drilling up our natural gases instead of buying foreign oil. President Barack Obama is also for fracking. According to Forbes, President Obama had said that nearly everyone’s energy bill had lowered because of it and the amount of renewable energy generated from sources like wind and solar had increased. Most importantly United States’ import of…
In the United States fracking is a helpful way to make clean energy, make heat quicker, and opens up many opportunities. Without this Fracking people would still be using coal and wood to heat their homes, workplaces, and schools. As the generations get older someday someone might come up with a substance that makes heat quicker and does not cause water pollution. There could be something out there right now that could be the new way of making clean energy, makes heat quicker, and good produce more jobs. The world is a mystery waiting to be discovered.…
People have been trying to get regulations on fracking for years now and some states will just not listen to the dangers to the drinking water that fracking brings. Using articles, political parties, and interest groups, this paper will explain the true dangers that fracking brings and why major regulations need to be put it place.…