Arguments Against Fracking

Fracking is the process used to access natural gas that is trapped underground 1. Recently, fracking in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale has gained the attention of many environmentalists 1. Many energy corporations argue that the natural gas industry is not only important for the United States energy, but it is also a large contributor the U.S. economy 2. Environmentalists have made arguments that fracking is not a clean process because the actual process of fracking involved uses a large volume of water along with sand and chemicals 3. A result of this process is contamination of groundwater; this is raising concerns for many environmentalists and the Environmental Protection Agency because it is harmful for public health3. I believe that fracking should be continued because it is beneficially to the economy, and that there is nothing wrong with New Jersey storing natural gases and having pipes from the Marcellus Shale to here. I also believe that more laws should be implemented to help minimize the contamination of water. …show more content…
There have also been studies that suggest that chemicals used during fracking, such as methanol, formaldehyde, sodium hydroxide etc., are carcinogens 2. When fracking occurs in a specific site, the chance for contamination is low but as the number of sites increase, the chance for contamination increases 4. It is suggested that advanced testing should be used to trace chemicals used in water during fracking to groundwater and determine if there is a correlation 4. It is projected that many shale productions around the country will have an increase in water usage and it is very important to determine if this will be harmful to public health