The controversy that lies behind the use of 'Fracking'
7.2 Billion people heavily rely on oil in todays world. With such weighty demand comes a substantial amount of pressure for oil firms to extract, and supply hydrocarbons. This is a major reason as to why oil firms are reliant on hydraulic fracturing in order to extract fossil fuels miles beneath the ground. This cycle of demand and supply makes this subject vitally important to research and discuss. This investigation will be based on the controversy that surrounds the use of 'Fracking' (Hydraulic Fracturing). Hydraulic Fracturing is a method carried out by energy producing firms to extract hydrocarbons from beneath the ground, located in specified areas across the globe. This report will mainly focus on the controversy that it has stirred within today’s society, and how it has managed to cause division amongst the people’s opinions on such method. There will be a brief exploration of people’s varying opinions as well as evaluating them. An analysis of the implications of Fracking will be investigated deeply, in order to formulate a conclusion after the consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of Fracking. This piece of research will mainly divide the benefits and drawbacks of the use of Fracking, withholding many points from each side.
What is 'Fracking'?
Engineers have known for years, that there is a mass amount of hydrocarbons trapped thousands of FT under ground, however, back in the days, technology was not available to provide solution to the high demand of oil that is existent. Fortunately, modern technology has allowed engineers to access such depth and extract hydrocarbons. A single field may allow engineers to educe mass amounts of oil, satisfyi...
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The Alberta tar sands have the second largest oil reserves in the entire world, only smaller than Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves. This vast supply of oil has created a large interest in the extraction and then production of different types of oil in Canada. The tar sands are believed to hold around 174.5 billion barrels of oil. The estimates are across the board but if it is true, the oil industry in Canada would become its largest export and substantially boost the economy. The tar sands were producing 53% of Canada’s oil output, but by the end of this year it will be around 83%. This number could increase to 99%, if the tar sands are fully taken advantage of. The extraction of oil has already begun and covers around 602 square kilometers of land. The problem is that ...
pros-and-cons>. Hassett, Kevin A., and Aparna Mathur. "American Enterprise Institute. " Benefits of Hydraulic Fracking.
Have you ever been to Hell? No one is quite sure how far underground you have to go to get there or what you have to do to be sent there, but no one truly wants to go. Fracking might be putting people closer to Hell than the government thinks. What is fracking? “…hydraulic fracturing… as a means of extracting natural gas and oil from shale formations located deep underground (Davis and Fisk 1). Fracking has caused many ethical issues due to the many problems it has caused for the people who live around the fracking sites. “…, it has become increasingly controversial because of rising public concerns about drilling-related impacts on environmental quality, local government infrastructure, and public health” (Davis and Frisk 1). The fracking
Oil is a significant, non renewable resource that is found underground and extracted through technological processes (Grubb). Consumption rates of the substance have never been higher. Oil remains to this day a vital aspect of production in industries like plastics, fertilizers, and asphalt. World oil consumption presently rests around 83 million barrels per day (...
Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, is a widespread practice in the United States. Fracking is a method used to extract oil and natural gas. Scientists and citizens report detrimental side effects of hydraulic drilling. New York and Vermont have banned fracking statewide. Maryland has set a two year moratorium on fracking, so that more research can be done to show the impacts of fracking on the environment. Nationwide, many other cities and counties have banned fracking as well. All states should look into finding alternative sources of energy, instead of using devastating practices like fracking to extract non-renewable resources.
Before one can see the devastating effects of fracking, one must first understand how fracking works. As previously stated, the main intent of hydro-fracking is to access and harvest natural gas that lies below the surface of the Earth. Having formed over 400 million years ago by the collision of tectonic plates (Marsa 3), the Marcellus Shale plays host to a gold mine of natural gas, which is currently at the center of the fracking debate in the Northeastern region of the United States. Unfortunately, access...
Natural gas extraction and consumption has risen over the past thirty years. Also known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking, a tremendous amount of uproar is being made in the environmental and political communities. Natural gas use is a great source of energy worldwide, only in America have we had a gold rush affect when it comes to extraction. Natural gas provides less dependence on foreign oil, less need for coal plants, and a more affordable energy source worldwide. There are many advantages to using natural gas but the way in which it is being extracted has caused many people to become sick. The detrimental environmental impacts caused by hydraulic fracturing continue to rise. Not to mention the political pull on big corporations and water quality standards. Currently in the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania and the Barnett shale in Texas, the air and water quality have diminished over the past years since drilling sites ran rampant. Natural gas is natural in terms of how it came to be, but not natural in how they extract it and the problems it is causing everyone involved. To make aware the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, environmental impacts, water quality and air emissions, must be considered.
Fracking has contributed to positive economic impacts and a closer sense of energy independence for the United States. Oil and natural gas rich areas underneath North Dakota have grown to contribute a large percentage of these resources to the overall production in the United States. The fact that the United States holds the potential to gain full energy independence could be not only monumental for the country in a global context but also extremely beneficial to the citizens. Less dependence on foreign exports could mean a healthier future for the country. The energy security potential of fracking, balanced with the environmental risks, make it important that it not be a yes-no question, but rather find a solution to satisfy it in a greater context.
The United States relies on imports for about forty percent of its crude oil, which is the lowest rate of dependency since 1991 according to the U.S Energy Information Administration. Today our country is trying to keep on track in becoming less and less dependent. When it comes to the topic of the future ways the United States will get its fuel, most of us readily agree that the United States should become more independent by using natural gas that is already here on our land. Where this argument usually ends, however, is on the question of the consequences drilling for natural gas brings. Whereas some are convinced drilling is safe, others maintain that it is actually in fact dangerous. Hydraulic fracturing or "fracking", the terms for drilling for natural gas, is dangerous to our public health and to the environment because of the water contamination it causes. Therefore, it is not something that should become a project for alternative fuel used by the United States.
No matter how you look at the effects of fracking, the loose is greater than the gain. It could help the country economically, by providing many jobs and being able to produce our own fuels. We would save a lot of money, but would be wasting our environment. The effects of the chemicals used would slowly be killing us. They would be left in our ground water and we would consume this without even knowing. Our water sources would become so contaminated that we would not be able to consume it. If we do not stop fracking now, we will only be asking for a dangerous future.
The extraction of crude oil from the Athabasca oil sands is carried out by surface mining and in situ mining. 90% of recoverable bitumen is located too deep to be recovered by surface mining (Mossop, 1980). Both techniques require invasive processes to successfully extract the bitumen from the subsurface and result in degradation of the land upon which they ar...
Fracking has become a highly controversial and publicized topic due to rising concerns and growing analysis into the mutual benefits of hydraulic fracturing to retrieve natural gas and oil reserves. With concerns of water pollution, mismanagement of toxic waste and irreversible
A. Scientists predict that in the next several decades the world will run out of oil. According to the article How Fast is the World Running out of Crude Oil by Umut Newbury accessed from the EBSCO Host database states that
,n.d. web. 21 May 2014 Petroleum engineering. Encyclopedia Britannica. N.P., n.d. Web.
As we have discussed, petroleum, natural gas, and its industries are a major factor in our economy. Oil and natural gas’s history, operations, environmental impacts, and present and future challenges demonstrate the importance of these non-renewable natural resources. The exploration of oil will continue to expand through the study of geoscience, engineering, and most importantly, technology. Midstream, containing the main operations of oil and gas, is improving each year in efficient processes for transporting, refining, and storing oil and gas. Despite the numerous challenges that are faced in the petroleum and gas industry, geologists continue to strive to make their operations safer for the environment, but are these efforts enough to save our planet for our future generations?