Cement and Hydraulic Fracking

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Within the past year the growing topic of discussion in Southern Illinois has been hydraulic fracking. Simply put, hydraulic fracking is “a process in which fractured rocks below the earth’s surface are opened and widened by injecting chemicals and liquids at high pressure: used especially to extract natural gas or oil.” (“hydraulic fracking”, dictionary.com) Hydraulic fracking, as with any other topic, has both positives and negatives. Although this is hardly new, it is continuously growing and so is the controversy surrounding it. Hydraulic fracking is a technique where you blast shale rocks that are underground with a mixture of sand, water and other chemicals to break apart the shale rocks and release the hydrocarbons inside of them. The blasting creates “fractures” within the rocks that allow the hydrocarbons to release. (“Fracking”, p. 1, greenpeace.org) This is where the name hydraulic fracking or “fracturing” came from. The hydrocarbons that are being released are natural gases and oil. The shale rocks that are blasted lie deep underground all throughout the United States and various other places on Earth. The industries refer to these shale rock formations as “shale plays”. (“Fracking”, p. 1, greenpeace.org) Some of the shale plays contain more hydrocarbons than others. In Illinois there are two rock formations: the New Albany Shale in the Southeast and the Maquoketa Group Shale in the North. (“The Big Frack”, p. 1, illinoisissues.uis.edu) As time goes on and we continue to advance in drilling techniques the easier it has become to remove these hydrocarbons. Due to the many advances, the United States natural gas production is now the highest it has been since the early 1970’s. (“Fracking”, p. 1, greenp... ... middle of paper ... ...m is happening too fast with insufficient concern for the potential cumulative impacts on our most critical resources – clean air, safe drinking water and a stable climate. Works Cited "hydraulic fracturing." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 09 May. 2014. . Stone, Les “Fracking.” Greenpeace. Greenpeace, 10 Jan. 2012. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. Dunn, Jamey “The Big Frack.” Illinois Issues. Illinois Issues, May 2012. Web. 9 May 2014. McDermott, Kevin “Fracking Comes to Illinois Amid A Wave of Money and Controversy.” St. Louis Today. St. Louis Today, 19 June 2013. Web. 9 May, 2014. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009. McCarthy, Dan. “Fracking: The Good, The Bad, and The Possibilities”. Fastcompany. Fast Company. 19, Sep. 2011. Web. 9, May 2014.

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