Hydraulic Fracturing And Its Effects - 1500 Words

Imagine a hot summer day with a brother and sister playing in their backyard, ages three and five respectively. They want to cool off, so they turn on the hose, and, as they have done countless times, the sister partially blocks the water flow so her brother can toddle through the spray. However, today she notices a strange odor permeating from the spigot. She doesn’t think anything of it until the smell worsens, at which time she promptly tells her mother. Horrified, her mother rushes to scoop up her son to go wash him in their bath tub. When she turns on the tap to draw the water, she again smells the odor. Distraught, the mother towel dries her child in a final attempt to spare his skin, but does not know what else to do. This sounds like a horror situation that would only happen in a country that was not very developed. However, situations like this one are plausible in America, partially due to hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing is a process which began in the late 1940’s as an experiment and has since expanded into a global method to efficiently extract natural gases. It has led to various economic benefits, including job creation and has lessened the economic dependence of the United States on foreign countries for oil consumption. Despite this, opponents of fracking cite environmental harms including various pollutions and contaminations. Like in the example with the mother and her children, â€Å"fracking† has the potential to contaminate drinking waterShow MoreRelatedHydraulic Fracturing And Its Effects On The Environment1087 Words   |  5 Pages Hydraulic Fracturing Maya Murray Mr. Iwasaki Chun MYP Chemistry Essay 3 May 2015 Maya Murray Mr. Iwasaki Chun MYP Chemistry 3 May 2015 Hydraulic Fracturing â€Å"Our country will have drilled and fracked our way down a blind alley for a short lived energy boom† (qtd. In †¦). Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gases inside. Many people are referringRead MoreThe Effects Of Hydraulic Fracturing On The Environment1695 Words   |  7 PagesDangers of Hydraulic Fracturing Despite its many advantages, hydraulic fracturing poses serious threats to the environment. Some of the commonly identifiable effects of hydraulic fracturing include water pollution, over depletion of water resources, noise pollution, air pollution as well as contributing to land movements such as tremors and earthquakes (Boudet et al. 57). According to Boudet et al. (58), fracking presents challenges that prompted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to commenceRead MoreThe Effects Of Hydraulic Fracturing On The Environment1275 Words   |  6 Pages Hydraulic Fracturing Hydraulic fracturing is known as the process of inserting sand, chemicals, or water into the ground to crack the deep deposits. Additionally, high pressure is required due to the far distance. Next, a pressurized rock layer is created, this is called Marcellus Shale. After, sand or water is used to keep the fissures open for continuous release of shale (natural) gas or oil. To transport water to the site, the trucks must be used for transportation. However, these huge trucksRead MoreHydraulic Fracturing And Its Effects On The Environment1737 Words   |  7 PagesHydraulic Fracturing has led to less cases of contamination than any other method of oil extraction, which is contrary to popular belief. There have been many useful regulations that turned a once feared industry to an environmentally safe, highly profitable industry. Hydraulic Fracturing is worth the risks it poses on the environment, because it will bolster the U.S. economy and foreign policy, provide billions of Petro leum barrels and trillions of square feet of natural gas, and it is not as harmfulRead MoreThe Effects Of Hydraulic Fracturing On The American Economy1398 Words   |  6 Pages Hydraulic fracturing can be very beneficial to the American economy. While beneficial, it has proven to be very harmful. As studies show, fracturing is using an absurd amount of water to complete these wells. Not only is the amount of water usage detrimental to our water supply, but oil companies are showing no signs of slowing down. On top of the high water usage, fracturing is physically crippling our environment with the injected fluids. With over 600 different types of chemicals added intoRead MoreThe Effects Of Hydraulic Fracturing On The United States1518 Words   |  7 Pagesissues on the political standpoint of the situation. This is where hydraulic fracturing comes in to play. Hydraulic Fracturing is a horizontal drilling process by the energy industry that has presented the means to solve both problems. This technology has provided the U.S. access to 100 years’ worth of energy. Natural gas has been located within the country’s borders and thousands of feet below the surface. Hydraulic Fracturing, also known as â€Å"fracking†, is used to access or enlarge productivityRead MoreThe Possible Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing in Newfoundland1278 Words   |  5 Pagesessay will examine the possible effects of hydraulic fracturing in Newfoundland. Hydraulic fracturing is the process of retrieving natural gas from the earth by injecting fluid into a borehole and pressurizing it, creating cracks in the rock. hydraulic fracturing fluid is made up of small beads of sand or ceramic, which prop open the cracks in the rock, as well as water and chemicals, which help suspend the proppants (sand or ceramic). The hydraulic fracturing fluid is pressurized, allowing theRead MoreHydraulic Fracturing And Its Effects On Water Quality2751 Words   |  12 Pagesunderground at high pressures to crack open shale rock and release natural gas or oil trapped which may be trapped in the rock. This then allows the natural gas or oil to flow to the surface where it can then be collected (Prud homme 2013). Hydraulic fracturing is commonly associated with only natural gas. However, this process has many other purposes. This process is also used for extracting liquids like oil and liquid natural gasses (LNGs) such as propane, butane, and hexane. This process is alsoRead MoreThe Effects Of Hydraulic Fracturing. Are Natural Gas And1896 Words   |  8 PagesThe Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing Are natural gas and oil worth fracking for? What long-term effects will fracking have on the environment? Fracking is the process of drilling a mixture of water and other chemicals into the ground at very high pressures in order to extract natural gas and oil. Fracking has caused various changes to its surrounding environment, these changes include: water contamination, the quality of the air that contributes to climate change, fracking-induced earthquakes, andRead MoreHydraulic Fracturing And Its Effects On The United States2334 Words   |  10 PagesIntroduction Hydraulic fracturing is an increasingly common practice used to access otherwise unobtainable oil or natural gas reserves. While it shows promise as both a valuable economic resource as well as a source of energy independence, many oppose the practice due to alleged environmental dangers. In order to foster a greater understanding of the issues at hand, the following topics are discussed: what hydraulic fracturing is, how it is performed, and where it is located in the United States