Fracking, the informal name for hydraulic fracturing, is a method of extracting natural gas from the earth. In this process, a well is drilled deep into the earth to reach shale. Once it hit this level, the well takes a ninety-degree turn and runs through the layer. Water with other dissolved chemicals is pressurized and sent down the well to create cracks in the shale. This solution helps absorb the gas and is subsequently pumped back up the well to the surface (NYTimes).
The controversies surrounding fracking involve the environmental impacts of the drilling itself and the extraction fluid. The fluid consists of various acids, detergents, and poisons that are unregulated by the federal government (NYTimes). This fluid must travel back up the well to the surface. This makes contaminating the area surround it in the event of a broken pipe or seal. If the pipe passes through an aquifer and there is a leak, the water being tapped will be contaminated (book). Other issues that critics note are the possibility of earthquakes and unwanted noise created during operation and transportation. For these issues, noise in not unique to just fracking and the changes of an earthquake that harms people or property is so low that it is negligible (book). …show more content…
The price of natural gas has fallen from 12 million dollars per MMBtu to 4 million dollars between 2008 and 2015. This has allowed for a reduction in the cost of electricity and gasoline. This has been beneficial for both consumer and manufacturers of goods (text book). Relative to coal, fracking and natural gas usage is much cleaner. In fact, shale gas emits only one-half of the carbon dioxide per unit of energy that coal does. Also, coal will release mercury into the air. The mercury eventually finds its way back into the soil and waters
The controversies surrounding fracking involve the environmental impacts of the drilling itself and the extraction fluid. The fluid consists of various acids, detergents, and poisons that are unregulated by the federal government (NYTimes). This fluid must travel back up the well to the surface. This makes contaminating the area surround it in the event of a broken pipe or seal. If the pipe passes through an aquifer and there is a leak, the water being tapped will be contaminated (book). Other issues that critics note are the possibility of earthquakes and unwanted noise created during operation and transportation. For these issues, noise in not unique to just fracking and the changes of an earthquake that harms people or property is so low that it is negligible (book). …show more content…
The price of natural gas has fallen from 12 million dollars per MMBtu to 4 million dollars between 2008 and 2015. This has allowed for a reduction in the cost of electricity and gasoline. This has been beneficial for both consumer and manufacturers of goods (text book). Relative to coal, fracking and natural gas usage is much cleaner. In fact, shale gas emits only one-half of the carbon dioxide per unit of energy that coal does. Also, coal will release mercury into the air. The mercury eventually finds its way back into the soil and waters