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essay on the effects of hydraulic fracturing
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Hydraulic Fracturing And Its Effects On The Environment
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Fracking, the North Dakota Boom, and US Energy Independence Introduction: Throughout the past three decades, energy has been a perennial issue in United States politics, economics, and media. The main concern surrounding this topic is the idea of energy independence and how the United States should proceed into the future. Energy independence relates to the goal of reducing United States dependence on importing foreign oil and other foreign energy sources. This desire aims to maintain energy dependence domestically so the United States can avoid reliance on any unstable countries and be detached from global energy supply distribution. It is currently being speculated that the United States might not be too far off from this goal. America’s dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year since 2007. In 2010, the U.S. imported less than 50 percent of the oil the country consumed -- the first time that’s happened in 13 years -- and the trend continued in 2011 (Zhang.) Experts credit new technology as the reason the United States is within several years of again becoming the biggest oil producer in the world, and perhaps two decades away from full energy independence. Hydraulic fracturing, fracking, is the “lead” technology in this technological revolution. Fracking is an economically more feasible way of drilling for oil or gas in harder to reach geological formation. Within the past decade or so, combining hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling has opened up shale deposits across the country. It has brought large-scale natural gas drilling to new regions that may not have had accessible deposits in the past. These areas have greatly benefited from the addition of this industry to their local economies. Certain are... ... middle of paper ... ...mists, argue that other, cleaner energy sources are more effective at creating jobs, and at lower cost. Conclusion: 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 has an immense amount of proven natural gas reserves that could become a major source for the nation's energy future (1). The mining of the natural gas resources have become feasible and cheaper due to the advancement of hydraulic fracturing technologies which have increased the amount the extraction and enabled “greater access to gas in shale formations” (2). Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking of shale formations has positive benefits that includes economic growth and the natural gas extracted is cleaner than coal and oil, however it has caused serious environmental problems and possibly could be the cause of recent seismic activity in areas where fracking operations exist (3).
In today's global economy, energy is one of the most crucial and sought after commodities. Who supplies it and how much they supply determines how much influence they have over other countries as well as the global economy. This is why hydraulic fracturing is currently such an important and controversial topic in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as "fracking" or hydrofracturing, is the process of using pressurized liquids to fracture rocks and release hydrocarbons such as shale gas, which burns more efficiently than coal. This booming process of energy production provides a much needed economic boost, creating jobs and providing gas energy for Americans. The efficiently burning shale gas reduces carbon emission from electricity production plants, reducing carbon footprints on the environment. However, the process of hydraulic fracturing uses millions of gallons of pressurized liquid, which contains toxic chemicals, and some of this water is left over undealt with. The air near fracking sites is often also polluted and unsafe for nearby community residents. Injecting millions of gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals into the rock thousands of feet deep can cause earthquakes, causing a safety hazards for all nearby areas. Hydraulic Fracturing makes rare natural gases easily attainable, boosting the economy and reducing carbon emissions. However, the negative side effects such as contaminated water and air, make hydraulic fracturing a process that may not be worth the benefits.
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.
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.
This process takes place on wells that are already drilled. The land must be cleared around where the well is located. Water is then pumped into the well at extremely high pressure. When water is sent this deep at high pressure, it causes the rocks in the shale formation layer, found in Figure 1, to crack. This layer is where oil and natural gas is found. When the rocks crack they release the oil and natural gas inside them. The water now has some natural gas and oil in it and can come back to the surface where it is to be separated. This can only be done because of the ability to drill horizontally. These wells go down very far into this layer and then the drill is able to make a turn so that it is drilling parallel with the ground. This increases the surface area of the contact that the water at high pressure has with the sh...
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...
Offshore oil drilling refers to a mechanical process in which a wellbore is drilled through the seabed in search for petroleum that lies in rock formations. In 1891, the first oil wells were submerged in the Grand Lake St. Marys in Ohio. Since that day they have expanded their range of oil drilling, and our ecosystems are now paying the price for it. I think that offshore oil drilling should be banned because it is ruining the environment, hurting marine wildlife, and even has a negative affect on us humans.
environmental damage mounting, the practice of fracking has only quietly expanded and profited. This concealed expansion into the nation’s backyard has only
Have you ever wondered about how today’s society is affecting the Earth? Well, today’s society is tremendously affecting it; due to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Fracking is very dangerous to the human body and the Earth. Not only that, but it also is not favored by the law.
Hydraulic fracturing, or it’s more common name fracking, has been a very debatable topic for decades. Fracking is when chemicals, water and sand are pumped into the ground to break apart rock so that natural gas can be released. Not only is fracking obviously bad for the environment, but it also has many impacts on the people that surround the area. Fracking has short term benefits, but long term consequences and impacts to the entire ecosystem. Fracking that is done today can affect our future generations for many years and generations to come. Although hydraulic fracking may reduce our dependency of oil on other countries and stabilize our economy, fracking has way too many environmental and health impacts; therefore proving that fracking is problematic and should not be an energy resource that countries depend on.
Fracking is a method of obtaining oil and natural gas from deep areas of the earth by mining very deep into the ground and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture the rock. When the rock is fractured, natural gas is released and harvested by large hydraulic fracturing rigs (Brooks, 2013). Though the process is an effective way of obtaining energy sources, it is a highly controversial topic so it is not massively used worldwide. Fracking works great and provides effective results but there is a diverse amount of downsides to the mining technique that have caused many people to take anti-fracking stances. The main argument against fracking is that it comes with environmental downsides, using immense amounts of water, infecting the earth with hazardous chemicals, and leaking methane into the atmosphere. Though many of the environmental downsides of fracking have been proven, the benefits of the energy source outweigh the downsides.
In the 1980’s, Americans thought that the decline of natural gases and oils was an irreversible impact (Davis 178). This led us to be dependent on other countries and pay them to provide us with these goods. However, with fracking being readily available, we can become less dependent on other countries to supply us with what we need (Davis 178). Today, fracking accounts for 56 percent of the natural gas we use and 48 percent of the oil, as recorded by the EPA (Davis 178). Fracking has caused the United States to be not just one of the top producers in the world, but the top producer (Davis 178). Researchers, scientists and even experts believe that fracking will send us on our way to being energy independent (Davis 179).
Every day the world we live in dies a little more. By this I mean the physical world is gradually being damaged by the way we treat it. We need to start looking at the kind of environment we are creating and decide if it is a place that we want our children and the future generations to have to suffer though. If your answer to the previous scenario is no then you should really consider what we can do to make the future a better place. One of the best ways that I can think of is by focusing on the advancements of green energy resources. By doing this we will not only reduce pollution produced by burring fossil fuels but mainly we will be able to reduce the amount of pollution produced from the gathering of them though means like fracking.
Hydraulic Fracking is a process to extract fluids that are trapped beneath the Earth’s surface. While this technique has allowed for an efficient and cost-effective way to tap into natural gas reserves, there are considerable environmental and health risks that have arisen. Over 596 chemicals are involved in the fracking process itself and many of these have been suspected of posing a significant risk to human physiology. There have also been several reports of physical disorders occurring in animals and people living around fracking well sites. Water from nearby areas has shown to display anti-estrogenic and androgenic properties that can impact endocrine function. Direct exposure of some of these fracking liquids to workers caused gastrointestinal, dermatological and neurological problems. Moreover, there are a host of environmental issues such as noise and air pollution and an increase in seismic activities. Certain countries have gone as far as to temporarily ban or suspend the use of this method. In my investigation, I will attempt to analyse the exact risks that are posed by fracking and what aspect of the technique contributes most to these problems. One of the goals of my research is to expand on the current knowledge on the toxicity of the chemicals and provide suggestions to the regulatory practices governing the operation. Through enhanced monitoring practices and proper disclosure of all the chemicals involved in fracking, there is potential for improving the safety of the process.
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” is a process in which natural gas and oil are extracted from shale rock layers deep within the earth by creating fractures below the earth’s surface. This is done by injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure into wells. There are a number of environmental concerns related to hydraulic fracturing. One concern is the amount of water it takes to extract these resources – it could involve up to 5.9 billions gallons of water per day. In order for these fracking sites to get all that water 200 trucks are needed in order for this to happen. In drought prone areas of the country, this could create additional strain on the environment. The areas that are most prone to drought are areas like Texas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia, and Kentucky along with other states surrounding them. Droughts take place all over the United States but most severely in the south as shown in this map. The dark, dark red are the states that have the most number of drought evens occur per year.