Fracking Argumentative Essay

An earthquake strikes, demolishing a home as items plummet to the ground. However, that home is not in California, it is in the middle of Oklahoma. There is no fault line in that part of the country, so how did an earthquake cause so much damage? Was it fracking? Hydraulic fracturing, or more commonly, fracking, is the process of pumping water and chemicals into the ground to extract natural gas. The United States should illegalize fracking and end it immediately. The fracking process can cause dangerous earthquakes that would not normally happen. It can also contaminate water sources that millions rely on. Finally, fracking does not create as many jobs as other jobs, and natural gas was supposed to be used as a transition fuel between conventional fossil fuels and eco-friendly options, like solar. Fracking is a risky process where the cons outweigh the pros.

In 2012, there were 135,000 more people working in the fracking industry than in 2007. At the same time, however, there were 140,000 people working in the solar industry alone. Over a million new green jobs were created in 2013 solely, with that number increasing. Wind energy creates many new jobs throughout the manufacturing, transportation, installation, and maintenance processes. According to Living in the Environment, Principles, Connections, and Solutions by G. Tyler Miller Jr., natural gas is seen by analysts as a transition fuel between conventional fossil fuels such as coal and oil and renewable sources, like solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal electricity. However, natural gas is still a fossil fuel, regardless of the fact that it burns cleanly. The process of extracting the natural gas, however, is dangerous, and the fact that it cleanly burns is not applicable. When not extracted properly, and even when it is extracted properly, there can be deadly consequences that cannot be