Disadvantages Of Fracking

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is defined as “the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc., so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas.” It consists of a well that is drilled miles deep that contains chemicals, additives, and sand, but mostly just large amounts of plain water. Once the rock is cracked from the pressure of the fluids, the natural gas comes back up the well, with millions of gallons of contaminants and chemicals. This procedure has been debated for decades, with proponents believing it is a safe and efficient way to retrieve natural gas, and opponents believing it is unsafe and unclean. http://www.livescience.com/34464-what-is-fracking.html There are a few
They believe that with the use of the large deposits of natural gas, there will be less usage of fossil fuels. With the fossil fuels being used over a greater period of time, research can be done to discover cleaner alternative energy sources. While natural gas is still detrimental to the environment, it does cause less carbon dioxide emissions than fossil fuels, so this is a common argument for fracking. While this argument makes sense if you are comparing gas to fossil fuels, it still pollutes the environment more than energy sources like solar and wind power. http://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2015/05/pros-and-cons-of-fracking-5-key-issues/ The people that would benefit from the use of fracking procedures would be the natural gas companies. They profit from natural gas because there is a large amount of it in the United States alone. It is easily retrieved, and people need energy, so the companies have a very lucrative business and are probably swimming in hundred dollar bills as we
They believe that fracking needs to be stopped for several reasons. People who come from this perspective can see past money and focus more on the impact fracking has on the environment. One major problem that arises from the procedure is the water pollution. Fracking fluids can leak into groundwater, and since many wells are located near people's homes, their drinking water can become contaminated with the many chemicals used in fracking. This can cause serious health problems such as sensory impairment, headaches, and frequent illness. The fluids can also contaminate bodies of water and damage the ecosystem. In addition, fracking uses tanker trucks full of water for each site, so this can cause water shortages and even droughts in surrounding areas. http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/pros-and-cons-of-fracking.php The other major reason fracking might be considered a bad thing is because of the chemicals being used. The companies will not disclose the types of chemicals that they are using, so it is a potential danger if these mystery chemicals leak into the environment. The waste from the procedure, including all of this material, is stored in large holes in the ground. While these are mostly dug in remote areas, a spill of waste material could be very detrimental to the