Pros Of Fracking

Our society is in constant need of energy. 40 percent of the United States energy consumption is from oil. Coal provides 23 percent and natural gas provides 22 percent of our energy. These sources and how much we get from them will soon have to change because as most of us know, our fossil fuels are limited. Once these fossil fuels are used, they cannot be replaced. There are ways that we can reduce the amount of fossil fuels that we use. The ways that we extract these fossil fuels are leaving a negative impact on our environment.

What is fracking? Fracking is the process of drilling into the ground and releasing a high-pressure water mixture into rocks in order to fracture them and release the natural gases inside. The water mixture consists of water, sand and chemicals. Fracking is beneficial because it lowers the prices of oil and gas, reduces America’s dependency on foreign oil, and reduces CO2 contribution.

Hydraulic Fracturing, otherwise known as fracking is the process of injecting large amounts of sand, water, and other chemicals into the shale rocks deep beneath the ground in order to flow natural gas back onto the surface of the well. This process was invented in the early 1900s, and has been controversial ever since. There are two sides to the debate, one being that fracking is known to be horrible for the environment. Fracking has caused families to need to be displaced, and emitted thousands of toxic chemicals into the air causing major public health issues. At the same time, fracking has reduced the reliability on coal, which is known to be horrible for the environment; it has also brought hundreds of thousands of gallons of natural gas

As technology grows with society, scientist find alternatives to everyday things such as oil and gas. Hydraulic Fracturing being a top producer of oil and natural gases by drilling into the ground and pumping fluids, to release resources. Fracking is one of the main source of heat and fuel but how safe is it. Can we expect to truly continue to rely on oil and natural gases? I feel that fracking isn 't safe because not only do men die from being on oil drills but fracking leads to environmental hazards and shows society isn 't has far into the future as everyone thinks.

Fracking is the process of pumping different liquids into the ground at high pressure to create fractures, cracks, and fissures in the rock so oil or gas can be extracted. The companies involved in the fracking industry are forced to stop extracting gas. This is because there has been a moratorium placed on Hydraulic Fracturing until further notice. A moratorium is a temporary prohibition of an activity. This means that companies that depend their earnings solely on fracking are failing.

Fracking is one of the best ways to get natural resources. “Fracking is a process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside” (Unknown). Adversaries of fracking will say that it is dangerous, use up our water supply, and poison our water supply, but that is not totally true, fracking will bring in more money, save money, and will make the air cleaner and safer. Fracking may seem unacceptable because of what people say about it, however, when they drill deep into the facts they will see that fracking is actually very beneficial.

In the second article "Fracking Threatens Everyone" it is stated "Fracking remains a dangerous practice that poses a threat even if it is done correctly and is carefully monitored" so it seems that the author wants people to stop Fracking because it generates dangers. It is stated "sources of drinking water can be ruined and all different types of pollution can happen in a second" which poses a great threat to many places. For example, the pollution can enter streams and rivers and kill whatever is in it, and harm even more wildlife. It says "This makes fracking a gamble for communities and individuals who may be tempted by the large amounts of money being offered to those who allow their land to be used for fracking" and the author

With the increased scale of fracking in Texas, one might wonder if the oil boom is affecting our water supply. The value of water in Texas is deeply cherished considering Texas’s dry climate and long-standing droughts. One may even wonder if Texas is valuing its water as much as it is its oil. As research furthers, we can begin to weigh the positive and negative effects of oil fracking. By providing overwhelming data on oil fracking and it’s effect on our water supply, we will begin to understand the vast impact of oil fracking in Texas.

Fracking has a bad reputation of polluting the environment that we live in. The government should allow hydraulic fracking to continue only if fracking companies agree to the following. Transporting fuel from foreign countries require a lot of money, the government should spend the money on better things like paying people to work of public projects. David Morris, PhD, Vice President of the institute for Local Self-Reliance states that the expenditures for our transportation fleets are about hundreds of billions of dollars. Since hydraulic fracturing companies pump up more than enough natural gas from the shale rocks underground, the shift in demand for foreign supplies declines.

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).

People complain about pollution from factories, cars, global warming, and the melting of polar ice caps, yet many people disregard the dangerous that come with fracking. Fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, and/or boreholes to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas. Fracking is causing an epidemic economically and environmentally. Fracking is continuously destroying the earth day by day. From the endless fracking today’s economy is depleting.

The process of fracking allows humans to extract the colorless, shapeless and odorless gas and oil when it is in its original form, which is later on used for electric power, in industries, in vehicles and in other important worldwide makings. Finally, the significance of fracking in the United States has clearly become leading to macroeconomists to state that the country is changing from a “net importer” to a “net exporter” of oil and gas over the coming years. Table 1: " What Is Fracking and Why Is It Controversial? - BBC News.

It involves high-pressure injections of water and chemicals into rock formations, which in turn release natural gas (Thompson, “Hydraulic Fracturing Should Be Banned”). However, fracking can result in many negative outcomes. For instance, scientists who conducted the earthquake study for Geology discovered that not only did fracking cause the biggest earthquake in Oklahoma, but it also caused more earthquakes in states that hardly experienced any seismic activity (“Wastewater Injection Spurred Biggest Earthquake Yet, Says Study,” The Earth Institute Columbia University). In fact, quakes have hit so frequently in Oklahoma, that state and oil regulators decided to shut down five disposal wells due to the increasing number of earthquakes in a city named Cushing (“Oil Regulators Shut Down Two Disposal Wells After Earthquakes Near Cushing”, State Impact: NPR).

FRACKING AND ITS CRITICISM Since the mid-80s, The First Nations and their leaders have raised numerous concerns about the failure of the government and industries in Canada to properly consult them before developing any of their lands. Fracking is a technique used in stimulating the fracturing of rocks through the use of pressurized liquid. The fluid used comprises of hot water, sand, and proppants that are thickened using appropriate agents. The fluid enters the deep-rock and makes it possible to have natural gas, petroleum and brine flow up. If the pressure is removed, the grains in the proppants are capable of keeping the fractures while open.

In recent years there has been a big issue on fracking in Oklahoma. This is an issue that only continues to get worse. The oil company, , by residents has been blamed for many of these earthquakes. Within the past month, there have been more and more issues. In Edmond Oklahoma, there was a big earthquake, which provoked residents to sue the company for $28 million in damages. Fracking has changed daily Oklahoman’s lives, from their property to their income.