Hydraulic Fracturing-Safe or NOt
Donna Fr
July 15, 2013
Hydraulic Fracturing- Safe or Not
When visiting family in Pennsylvania a couple of years back, I heard a new term called “fracking.” The towns were all a buzz about this new way to tap into Pennsylvania’s newest resource, natural gas. What I noticed was, a beautiful picturesque countryside being torn up. I saw trucks hauling water and equipment, traveling up and down small country roads. Farms that had been in family’s for generations being sold off or leased to gas companies. A new technology for tapping into a nation’s most sought after fuel, natural gas, had begun. Fracking is a technique where water, chemicals, and sand are pumped into an underground well. This is done to unlock the natural gases trapped in shale formations. When this mixture is injected at high pressure into a well it creates fractures in the shale allowing gas to flow into the well. Our energy resources are an essential component of our modern society. Every day Americans hear about how companies are in search of reliable and affordable energy. No question about it, there is a need, but how we go about this, is what ultimately affects us. Fracking is beneficial because it allows us to use our national resources; however, gas companies need to follow all regulations and be held to better standards.
Hydraulic Fracturing has been going on since the early 1800s. The first shale gas extraction in the U.S. was in 1821, in Fredonia NY (Montgomery/Smith).
North America has been the leader in developing and producing hydraulic gas. Other countries such as China, Germany, Canada and Australia are now joining the trend. In an article by the Energy Information Administration states that 25% of the nation’s electricity is generated by natural gas. Also, that 46% of the new generating capacity added to the grid by 2035 will come from natural gas (EIA). Most of this natural gas will be produced right here in U.S. The scientists at U.S. Geological Survey states that natural
July 15, 2013
Hydraulic Fracturing- Safe or Not
When visiting family in Pennsylvania a couple of years back, I heard a new term called “fracking.” The towns were all a buzz about this new way to tap into Pennsylvania’s newest resource, natural gas. What I noticed was, a beautiful picturesque countryside being torn up. I saw trucks hauling water and equipment, traveling up and down small country roads. Farms that had been in family’s for generations being sold off or leased to gas companies. A new technology for tapping into a nation’s most sought after fuel, natural gas, had begun. Fracking is a technique where water, chemicals, and sand are pumped into an underground well. This is done to unlock the natural gases trapped in shale formations. When this mixture is injected at high pressure into a well it creates fractures in the shale allowing gas to flow into the well. Our energy resources are an essential component of our modern society. Every day Americans hear about how companies are in search of reliable and affordable energy. No question about it, there is a need, but how we go about this, is what ultimately affects us. Fracking is beneficial because it allows us to use our national resources; however, gas companies need to follow all regulations and be held to better standards.
Hydraulic Fracturing has been going on since the early 1800s. The first shale gas extraction in the U.S. was in 1821, in Fredonia NY (Montgomery/Smith).
North America has been the leader in developing and producing hydraulic gas. Other countries such as China, Germany, Canada and Australia are now joining the trend. In an article by the Energy Information Administration states that 25% of the nation’s electricity is generated by natural gas. Also, that 46% of the new generating capacity added to the grid by 2035 will come from natural gas (EIA). Most of this natural gas will be produced right here in U.S. The scientists at U.S. Geological Survey states that natural
Cited: