Essay On Fracking

Fracking: Should It Stop? In 2007, a home in Ohio received an unpleasant surprise when, after turning on the sink, an explosion ensued (Beaver 128). What caused this explosion? The EPA started an investigation and they found that the explosion was caused by dangerous amounts of methane in the water supply. How did the methane get into the water? After even more research, the EPA found that the only probable cause was fracking. This incident is not isolated either. There have been countless reports of different earthquakes, explosions, contaminations, and health issues, all over the country that can be linked back to fracking. Yet there are still very few regulations set on fracking. Even though fracking has helped produce many jobs, strict regulations are needed, because it is contaminating water supplies, causing explosions, earthquakes, and serious health problems for the people and land around hydraulic fracturing sites. First of all, what is fracking? Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a method of extracting natural gases from shale formations. Twenty million liters

Fracking has actually been taking place since the 1940’s, but not until it was combined with horizontal drilling was it extremely useful (“Hydraulics” 71-75). In the past fifteen years the fracking business has skyrocketed. By 2015 thirty-five thousand wells are using fracking methods in order to extract the natural gases each year. Ninety percent of all gas production in the United States would be impossible without fracking (“Hydraulics” 71-75). More than ninety percent of natural gas wells in the U.S. rely on fracking (Howarth, Ingraffea, and Engelder). The hydraulic pressure that sends the chemicals into the wells are supposed to make sure that the chemicals stay far underground, but the fluids are still being found very near the surface (Lustgarten and