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Effects of oil drilling on the environment
Essays on effects of oil drilling
Effects of oil drilling on the environment
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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.
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...
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Hassett, Kevin A., and Aparna Mathur. "American Enterprise Institute." Benefits of Hydraulic Fracking. American Enterprise Institute, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .
"No Fracking in California." Environment California. Environment California, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. .
"Fracking Wastewater." Catskill Mountainkeeper. Catskill Mountainkeeper, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .
Hoffman, Joe. "Potential Health and Environmental Effects of Hydrofracking in the Williston Basin, Montana." Serc.carleton.edu. Carleton College, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .
Removal of the mountaintops causes environmental impacts from blasting. The blasting has caused rocks to be deposited into valleys on the hillsides, burying almost 2,000 miles of streams which feed the Mississippi River. Slurry, the residue which is used to clean the coal can wash into groundwater and may contain arsenic, lead, manganese, iron, sodium, strontium, and sulfate. A recent research study is beginning to link these environmental impacts to the grave health concerns in the Appalachian communities. During most of the Mountaintop removal mining’s history coal industries have been able to obtain permits easily to operate, but once under the Obama administration Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) those permits now take more time to obtain. The permit process requires all applications to be reviewed before being given out to coal
The amount of water required and the different chemical additives used in the frac fluid is what poses a threat to the safety, health and welfare of the public. Hydraulic fracturing uses concoction of slush water, sand and chemicals combined with pressure to stimulate to either create or expand cracks in the shale. One of the main concerns is the large amount of fresh water used and lost in todays fracturing techniques. Certain fracturing techniques can use to 8 millions gallons of water, either freshwater or treated produced water. This freshwater makes up about 98% to 99% of the total volume of the slush (fracfocus.org). After the frac is done the w...
Ever since the process of hydraulic fracturing—or fracking—made its entrance to the oil industry, issues and problems surrounding the process have become a common occurrence. Fracking is the controversial process of horizontal drilling (see fig. 1), where millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals are pumped deep into an oil well to extract natural gas from the earth’s crust (Ehrenberg 20). This practice has even been banned in some places (see fig. 1). The methane that comes out of the earth and the water used—called fracking fluid—has the potential to cause problems with local ground water supplies. Whether or not fracking is the cause of these problems, concern should be observed during the fracking process to reduce the chances of water contamination among residential areas.
Fracking can cause harm to people, animals, and nature. When they drill into the ground they are pumping chemicals to extract the gas and oil, and this contaminates the water sources around it. “An editorial on gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale in the Post-Star, a newspaper in Glens Falls, New York, contends, “New York state simply can’t take the risk. There are plenty of places to find fuel. It’s not so easy to find a new water supply for 17 million people.”” (Hydrofracking
EnergyFromShale.org shows the fluid mixture is comprised of 90% water, 9.5% propping agents such as sand, and 0.5% chemical additives. Some of the chemicals found in this mixture are: sodium chloride, ethylene glycol, borate salts, sodium carbonate, guar gum, and isopropanol. Proponents of fracking will lead you to believe that the chemicals used are essentially harmless, and found in such small amounts as to have negligible side effects. On the CDC website, ethylene glycol is described as an odorless liquid with a sweet taste. When ingested it breaks down into toxic compounds. A person’s central nervous system, heart, and kidneys are affected. Large amounts of ethylene glycol can be deadly. While many say that the 0.5% amount of chemicals used is such a small amount, they are traceable amounts. Additionally, drilling companies are supposed to treat the fracking fluid before it is injected into the ground, left to dissipate, or released into surface water. The EPA claims that flowback is properly treated before it is disposed of, and that it is regulated by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. After treatment, the EPA Underground Injection Control program is supposed to regulate the flowback being injected underground to dispose of it (epa.gov.,
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.
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...
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.
Fracking is quickly becoming a debatable topic in our society today. The practice involves injecting fluid into the ground to fracture rock in order to release natural gas. It sounds like it would be a safe way to harness fuels in the earth’s surface, but it actually is a danger to our environment. Because of the dangers of fracking, what little fresh water remains on earth is being contaminated. It is also releasing toxins into the airs creating contaminated air and acid rain. Because of the many health and environmental dangers of fracking, it should be stopped immediately to help prevent more worldwide health issues down the road.
To conclude, hydraulic fracturing pollutes our air and drinking water and hurts communities. Communities with fracking have seen declines in property values,and losses in tourism and agriculture. It worsens climate change due to the chemicals released in the process, and is linked to earthquakes. “ facturing produces approximately 300,000 barrels of natural gases a day”. It is not safe, think about the communities that are already suffering from droughts? Water used on fracturing projects can be used to supply states in the west where there is no fresh water to
Since the early 2000’s, after new technological advancements in fracking and the discovery of large shale reserves across the country, fracking has increased domestic energy production substantially. Shale gas production has increased 20% from 2005 to 2012, promoting a more prosperous economic demand for domestic energy solutions (Pritchard). The demand for transportation vehicles, fuel, housing and water also increases with the expansion of fracking. Furthermore, the increase in fracking has increased employment significantly. In a country struggling to rebound from a recession, well-paying jobs are easily accessible in the booming oil field. This is evident in the prosperous state of North Dakota, in which the unemployment rate has fallen to 2.8 %( Gottesdiener). However, although this industrial expansion creates temporary employment, the consequences of mismanagement may also cost millions of dollars to repair. Fracking has the potential to create environmental damage such as water contamination, radioactive spills, and increased seismic activity that could cost thousands of dollars in damage. The cleanup of drinking water contamination is difficult and expensive, and ultimately rarely attempted. Moreover, the cost to replace the drinking water of contaminated homes and communities also cost a substantial amount of money (The Costs of
Numerous reports have been given on the dangerous affects of hydraulic fracturing. One such affect that has been noticed is that drinking water wells near the fracturing sites have been contaminated. During the hydro-fracking process, injected fluids that help to break and keep open the rock bed where the natural gas is kept, have “been known to travel three thousand feet from the well (Goldman).” This fluid could have the potential to enter and contaminate any water well for homes around hydraulic fracturing sites. This incident is one of the major problems that people want to figure out and know about before they allow a fracturing site by them. It has been the most feared outcome of having a fracking site nearby, and it is highly appropriate. One site in Wyoming had this happen, “…in August, EPA reported that eleven of thirty-nine drinking-water wells near a Wyoming hydraulic fracturing operation were contaminated with chemicals used in the fracturing process (Hobson EPA).” In Pennsylvania, another such case occurred, “There have already been severe pollution cases in Pennsylvania, mo...
Ever since knowledge of fracking has entered the common domains, people have been bombarded with arguments for or against the process. Fracking is a process in which a drill is used to drill into the earth and extremely high-pressure water, combined with sand and chemicals, is used to force natural gas out of the ground to be used in any number of ways. The article being analyzed in this instance is firmly within the anti-fracking camp. Unfortunately, the article is also very much unreasonable mostly for the lack of evidence for its claims.
...i. "Environmental Pathways Of Potential Impacts To Human Health From Oil And Gas Development In Northeast British Columbia, Canada." Environmental Reviews 20.2 (2012): 122-134. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.