Preview

Fracking Issues

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
584 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Fracking Issues
Define the Issue

Natural Gas is a good, clean source of energy for many uses. It does not pollute the atmosphere and is increasing in popularity. With fossil fuel sources depleting, natural gas is becoming more looked at as a new main energy source. There is a large quantity of natural gas held within the layers of shale underground and only recently new technology was developed that can release the gas from the shale in a process called fracking.

Geographic Trends

In the past people have used many harmful process to obstruct materials from the earth. Now that people have the knowledge of how activities can harm the environment, this type of behavior should not be allowed. Fracking causes many serious problems like water contamination,
…show more content…
Mining companies would spray the mountains with high pressure water to make all the sediment come down and extract the gold from the sediment. This was not well regulated at the time and ended up having disastrous effects on the rivers in California. After the harm was done it was then outlawed in the state. This will most likely be the same thing that happens with fracking.

Significance of the Issue

People are having to try very hard to find new sources of energy because the non-renewable sources will eventually run out. For enough shale gas to be produced to help with the energy problems it would cause a great deal of damage to the earth and may even cause disasters and health problems for people.

Sides

Yes Side – The pro side of this debate is led by Diana Katz who believes that we should put more effort into producing shale gas than fossil fuels. Since we have the new technology we should support private companies to obtain the scale gas.

No Side – The no side of this debate is led by Deborah Weisberg who argues that fracking causes huge threats to the environment and people. The industry of fracking needs to have stronger regulations to keep water sources from becoming polluted by the chemicals that they are

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Fracking occurs when “water wells become plugged up with sand and other minerals. A machine is brought in to inject water into the well at extreme pressure to blow out the tiny cracks and fissures in the rock through which the water flow.” (Fracking Threatens Everyone) Completely harmless. Or so it seemed at that time. Today dealing with increased pollution, it contaminated this ‘wonderful’ thing. “Fracking injects large quantities of water under great pressure with sand and many toxic chemicals mixed in. Many of these are can cause cancer…Unfortunately, when fracking goes wrong, sources of drinking water ca be ruined and all different types of pollution can happen in a second.” (Fracking Threatens Everyone) Just like that, in a blink of an eye, something wonderful was turned around and causes more problems than we can…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Too Frack or Not to Frack

    • 892 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at high pressures in order to release natural gas from shale rocks by fracturing them. It takes an abundance of resources to create just one fracking well. Each gas well needs on average four hundred tanker trucks to carry water and supplies to the site. Fracking uses a great deal of water. Each fracturing job requires one to eight million gallons of water to complete it. Hydraulic fracturing has a huge effect on the environment primarily due to all the harmful chemicals used in the process. Some people don't want to ban fracking because it reduces imports of natural gas to america and it creates jobs, but many of these workers are being injured from working on the fracking site. In addition to poisoning its workers and the environment fracking is actually more expensive than traditional drilling.…

    • 892 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Challengers feel any economic benefits from using the fracking process would be short-lived and would be ignoring reports of risks to public health, air quality, weakening of ground stability, contamination of groundwater, permanently altering the local ecology, and the use of vast amounts of water…

    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Now this all sounds very nice, but fracking is one of the most debated topics recently out of following reasons: It takes an immense amounts of water, it poses the…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Fracking has become a nation wide debate and one that doesn’t seem to have an end. The state of North Carolina is one of the most involved areas of the fracking process. “North Carolina is sitting on top of large natural gas reserves (WRAL 1).” For this reason, many natural gas companies come to North Carolina for business. This helps the states economy because it produces more income and creates more jobs. The only problem is that the hydraulic fracking process has a reputation of contaminating local drinking water. This causes controversy with the citizens in cities such as Raleigh. Many cities welcome fracking while others try to completely ban it. The worst problem with fracking is that there seems to be no alternatives for it. Fracking is the only current process that can supply the efficient amount of natural gases. Therefore, fracking must not be banned but corrected so it can obtain natural gases in a safe manner.…

    • 2188 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, has been a hot topic of debate in the United States of America since its inception in 1947 and first well drill in 1949. The United States was the first country to perform hydraulic fracturing to tap into a previously unavailable resource, natural gases deep underground in very small micro veins that spider web across a large area. The concerns are, and have included, most importantly health concerns and tax revenues. Controversy and a big difference between the local citizens and the oil companies has brought this topic to a heated debate. Citizens become increasingly concerned about health issues and damaged environments. Therefore discussing these subjects is becoming increasingly difficult.…

    • 2231 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oil Fracking

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages

    My name is Santiago Arellano, and I am a resident of Broomfield Colorado. I would like to present my opinion on the North Park Hydraulic Fracturing. Hydraulic Fracturing is a very ingenious way of removing oil from the deep Shale, which we have been unable to reach. This method, also known as Fracking, is also very small. It starts out with a drill rig and a holding tank for the first 3 months, but then once the well is dug, it looks like another oil drill, and will continue to draw oil from the ground for the next 20-30 years. Fracking involves the use of radioactive materials, explosives, and hazardous chemicals. I believe that, as Fracking becomes more popular, and less scrutinized, the watch over it will become less strict, and these materials will leak into groundwater, or into our rivers and lakes.…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fracking in North Texas

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Fracking requires up to 5 million gallons of water per well and perhaps even more in which case, the tons of water used would create a huge demand of local water supplies (Dong). Unlike agriculture or domestic water uses, gas drilling does not return the used water back into in the ground (Myers). The water can not go back into the ground because the returned water not only has added chemicals that helped with fracturing but also has about 40,000 gallons of chemicals that were previously added (Dong). Sometimes, the used water can leak out in surrounding lakes and rivers. Those lakes and rivers supply the surrounding communities with water but now since fracking, the water is polluted. The chemicals that are in the water can cause serious illnesses and possibly be life threatening since most chemicals are poisonous.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hydraulic Fracking

    • 2632 Words
    • 11 Pages

    This paper explores the hydraulic fracturing process, exactly what it is, what the fracturing process does to the earth and the surrounding environment in addition, to the consequences. Hydraulic fracturing is fracturing of rock by pressurization. This process by which oil and natural gas can be forced from the earth. The hydraulic fracturing process takes millions of gallons of clean water, sand, chemicals and pumps them underground at high pressure to break apart rock to release gas and or oil. My research has led me to the discovery that there are as many proponents for fracking as that are those that oppose the process. One thing no-one can deny or easily hide is that once the damage is done and something has gone wrong, the evidence usually speaks volumes that this is not something we should be doing to our planet or its people. The diagram on page 3 outlines the process defined as fracking for an easier understanding of how invasive the process is to the environment.…

    • 2632 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Fracking Pros And Cons

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Despite nations across the world placing restrictions on fracking, or banning the process altogether, the increase in human induced hydraulic fracking as we have seen in recent years in the search for cleaner forms of energy may cause even greater environmental…

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I do not believe that hydraulic fracking is good for the environment because it puts toxic waste into the ground, contaminates water supplies and the accidental spills lead to much devastation, and even our groundwater gets contaminated.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Should we allow companies to continue the fracking process ? No , We should stop the fracking process because of water contamination , the deaths of animals , and sickening of people. Chemicals that are contaminated are dangering others, fracking pollutes the water and air, and is dangerous for the workers and the animals. When landowners suspect that fracking is contaminating their water, a settlement can be made where the landowners can be given money; in return, they will need to promise to not talk to anyone about the problem.Fracking puts our health and the environment's in serious risks.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A controversial new method of extracting natural gas from the earth has become a danger for Americans. This method is called Hydraulic Fracturing, or Fracking. This drilling has made it possible to retrieve methane gas trapped in the shale rock that lays thousands of feet below the ground. For some, fracking can be seen as a good thing for our country. Fracking is boosting the nation’s economy, creating jobs and energy export opportunities, and strengthening the energy independence of the United States. Although it may help in some aspects, it comes at a very high cost to the American people. Fracking is extremely harmful to the water supply, the environment, and the population.…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    W hy does everyone care so much about natural gas? Why is it such an essential part of modern culture? Sure, it's an exciting and up and coming technology, which is fuel for the technological generation that we've grown up in, but we need to take a closer look to see the methods and impacts that could affect generations after us.…

    • 1435 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fracking Should Be Banned

    • 2277 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Imagine if Uranium, Lead, Formaldehyde, and Mercury contaminated your drinking water. Fracking is harmful to humans and the environment. It is important that fracking is stopped because up to 600 carcinogens are used in fracking fluid (Earth Works). What is fracking? Fracking is the process of extracting natural gas from the Earth. It starts by drilling several kilometers deep into the ground. Then the drill is turned horizontally and drills for an additional kilometer. After the hole is drilled large amounts of extremely toxic fluid are then ejected into the earth at extremely high pressures. Subsequently, fissures are created…

    • 2277 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays