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Fossil fuels and alternate sources of energy
Fossil fuels and alternate sources of energy
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Hydraulic Fracturing is the cracking of the Marcellus Shale by injecting more than one million gallons of water, sand, and other chemicals at a high pressure into wells that go as far as 10,000 ft. deep. Miners and people who work for gas companies do this to collect the natural gas that shale rock produces. “Fracking” was developed by Haliburton about 60 years ago. This was a big break through because there was a point in time where the United States was considered energy poor. With this relatively new finding, the U.S. would have a great supply of natural gas, and it will also take part take part in our nations’ process of using “clean” energy in the future. Although there are many positives to the situation, there are also negatives. You can say that fracking is a double sided mirror; beauty and distortion. Haliburton was founded by Erle P. Haliburton in 1919, where he started with nothing but a wooden mixing box, thus starting an oil well cementing business in Oklahoma. Later on, around 1930 is when the company expanded more to doing things such as, testing cement mixers, offered “acidizing” services to break down resistance of limestone formations and increase production of gas of oil and gas (Haliburton, 2013). This was its first steps in becoming the world’s most vast offshore service. Providing its services to Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, China, Europe and lastly, was realigned to both eastern and western hemispheres in 2006-07 and divided its services into two divisions: completion and production, and drilling and evaluation. Here’s the beauty of it all; there are many positives to hydraulic cracking for example, there are more people who are getting employed whether they are helping ... ... middle of paper ... ...ut ultimately it is a positive thing because of all of the benefits it’s brought to the U.S. it made lots of people happy; farmers, miners, and unemployed people who were able to get a job. The federal government is not completely involved in this action therefore leaving the individual states to govern themselves. Farmers get paid for miners to use their land, miners make a profit off of the oil they collect, and employees make a living with the job they now have. This helps slow down the use of greenhouse gases that ultimately make global warming happen. What is better? Killing 2 birds with one stone, or killing no birds at all? You decide. Works Cited "Catskill Mountainkeeper." Catskill Mountainkeeper. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. "Donate." Top Stories RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. "WebAccess." Penn State Secure Login:. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
As America’s first billionaire, few individuals in history can compare with John D. Rockefeller Sr. His wealth around the turn of the 20th century would be worth roughly twenty-two billion dollars in modern United States dollars. It is undeniable that Rockefeller changed the landscape of the American petroleum industry by defining the nature of oil production. By 1883, Rockefeller was laying the foundations for what we now know as the vertically integrated company and the modern multinational. The fruit of Rockefeller’s labor, the Standard Oil companies, controlled ninety five percent of petroleum refining and transport by 1880.
The Keystone XL Pipeline Imagine the world not as how it is now, but as how people wish it could be. There is no pollution, everyone has a job, the world is at peace and a safe place to live, and most importantly, everyone is happy. This is but a mere dream. Now open your eyes and look at it. See the reality of what the world truly is: we are intentionally hurting the environment, many people in the world are unemployed, many different countries are at war and people are dying because of it.
...e hazardous to the environment. The government will be forced to incur the cost of environmental damage brought about by increased use of fossil fuel in the country. The money could have been used to invest in other sectors of the economy. Similarly, the pipeline will increase the level of unemployment in the country. This is because construction of the pipeline will force most workers to lose their jobs. This will in turn add to the number of the already existing unemployed people in the country.
Almost every single nation in our world today, the United States included, is extremely reliant on oil and how much of it we can obtain. Wars have started between countries vying for control of this valuable natural resource. The United States as a whole has been trying to reduce its reliance on foreign oil and has had some success, especially with the discovery of the Bakken formation and projects like the Keystone Pipeline. Projects like the Keystone Pipeline are important as they will allow us to transport more oil than we would be able to in train cars, and grant larger access to oil reserves in the United States and Canada. The Keystone Pipeline itself is an oil pipeline which runs from the western Canadian sedimentary basin in Alberta, Canada to refineries in the United States.
However, the negative side effects such as contaminated water and air, make hydraulic fracturing a process that may not be worth the benefits. One benefit of hydrofracking is that it creates job in the current economic slump that America is in. The increase of hydraulic fracturing in the United States directly benefits the citizens, with the number of employees i... ... middle of paper ... ...
The immediate impact of hydraulic fracking is the economic gain from drilling. With so much money involved in gas oil all Americans see a gain. Starting with the land owners to the proprietor of a local restaurant and even households far away from drilling sites everyone ei...
“Hydraulic fracturing involves the use of water pressure to create fractures in rock that allow the oil and natural gas it contains to escape and flow out of a well (Energy From Shale).” Fracking has served to extract natural gas and oil where other methods would not be as successful but many environmentalists argue that fracking is affecting the environment and our drinking supply of water. Although fracking is still a controversial topic, it provides Americans jobs, increases the economy of the region, and the natural gas and oil are cleaner and more affordable source of energy. The EPA recognizes that natural gas and oil are an essential part to help our planet survive but do not want fracking to come at an expense to the public health of the citizens or to the environment.
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.
Hydraulic fracturing is the forcing of fissures in subterranean rocks by introducing liquid at high pressure, especially to extract oil or natural gas. This process has been conducted since 1949, and more people have been studying how fracking affects the environment, such as Josh Fox. Josh Fox filmed and directed a documentary over Gas Lands, interviewing and following people whose lives have been affected by hydraulic fracturing near them. Throughout this documentary, we get to see how fracking is ruining certain aspects of people’s lives and forever damaging the environment we live on.
Imagine a world where fresh and clear water was a luxury. Imagine water so contaminated with chemicals that every plant it comes into contact with dies. As the trees begin to die, oxygen levels drop. As the vegetation dies, wildlife begins to die out. The polluted water which flows through the ground into wells causes instant contamination. As the water flows out of the sink, one can strike a match and light the liquid on fire. Showering in these chemicals is out of the question. Fresh water has become a comfort, rather than a given. Could planet Earth survive this existence? If hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as fracking, were deemed legal, this question may be put to the test. Fracking is a process in which chemicals, sand and water are used in “high volumes… to fracture gas-bearing layers of rock” (Dolesh 2). As the rock breaks, natural gas is released and then collected to be used as energy. The United States is currently sitting on a gold mine of natural gas which could stimulate our ever declining economy. The question is what price are we willing to pay for a temporary fix? Fracking is a dangerous process that should be deemed illegal due to its harmful short and long-term environmental effects.
What is Hydraulic Fracturing or as some refer to as Fracking? Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking is a method of mining. The process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at high pressure in order to crack shale rocks and release trapped natural gas from the ground. Fracking was first used in 1947, at the Hugoton field in southwestern Kansas. Stanolind Oil (AMOCO) was the company that conducted the experimental fracking method. Floyd Farris, who works for AMOCO, is the person who preformed studies of the pressure of injecting water and certain chemicals into oil and gas wells; the process of fracking was introduced. Fracking can produce a lot of energy, but it also has the potential to harm the environment. One question that is asked is “Will Fracking affect our water that we drink and change our lifestyle?” America could become independent on energy if there is more fracking. Independence on gas and oil would help all of our country.
One of the biggest natural resources used in fracking is water. On average, around one to eight million gallons of water are used on a fracture job. There are also around 500,000 active fracture sites around the world and each site can be fractured around 18 times. This means that roughly 72 trill...
Enron Corporation started back in 1985. It was created as a merger of Houston Natural Gas and Omaha based InterNorth as a interstate pipeline company (CbcNews). Kenneth Lay was the former chief executive officer of Houston natural gas merged his company with another natural gas line company, Omaha Based InterNorth. During the time of the merger there were many arguments amongst the two companies and in the end Ken Lay the former C...
Fracking is a highly controversial practice that utilizes the injection of water, chemicals and abrasives to extract relatively inaccessible pockets of natural resources. Although fracking has the potential to benefit the economy, it may also pose a significant impact on the environment, the ecosystem and safety.
Fracking is a pressurized, chemically treated mixture of water and sand to release and extract natural gas and petroleum from shale rock. There are many articles, studies being done, and organizations fighting for what they think is right. Environmentalist want the technique of fracking banned because it plays a part in global warming, affects our water, and causes human health problems. If fracking cannot be banned because of its necessity then it should be made safe and eco-friendly. The process involves a well being drilled vertically to the desired depth, then turns ninety degrees and continues horizontally for thousands of feet into the shale believed to contain the trapped natural gas. A mix of water, sand, and various chemicals is pumped into the well at high pressure in order to create fissures in the shale through which the gas can escape. Natural gas escapes through the fissures and is drawn back up the well to the surface, where it is processed, refined, and shipped to market. Flowback returns to the surface after the