When the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining, natural gas is widely proclaimed as the new partner of renewable energy. A supposedly “clean” energy, natural gas, has been used to power trucks and heat homes. Inexpensive natural gas is transforming the way our energy is harnessed. With increasingly better technology, many forms of alternative energy are being supplied. Hydraulic fracturing to obtain energy is one such field that has been explored in the last 50 years. Although some may say that it this clean energy is the replacement for coal, the hydraulic fracturing process used to acquire this extraordinary product must be improved before it can be called safe.
Recent spurs to further develop unconventional sources of oil and gas …show more content…
This includes the possibility of the contamination of freshwater sources by fracking fluids and air contamination through emissions from venting, pipeline leaks, and the amount of trucks required to transport materials. Although these risks are known, the oil and gas industry is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and other federal environmental laws. This absence of federal regulation leaves the individual states to enforce their own laws. Furthermore, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson has said, “In no case have we made a definitive determination that the fracking process has caused chemicals to enter groundwater.” In essence, although there is some speculation that hydraulic fracturing taints drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency does not see an absolute connection regarding the …show more content…
A proposal is to eliminate national tests of drinking water and public notification requirements about violations of drinking water standards. Another proposal is to allow states to give waivers to drinking water providers, allowing them a permanent right to violate the standard for a given contaminant if they claim they cannot afford to comply. There is also another suggestion to have affordable, feasible technology to remove cancer-causing contaminants - carcinogens such as
Recent spurs to further develop unconventional sources of oil and gas …show more content…
This includes the possibility of the contamination of freshwater sources by fracking fluids and air contamination through emissions from venting, pipeline leaks, and the amount of trucks required to transport materials. Although these risks are known, the oil and gas industry is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and other federal environmental laws. This absence of federal regulation leaves the individual states to enforce their own laws. Furthermore, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson has said, “In no case have we made a definitive determination that the fracking process has caused chemicals to enter groundwater.” In essence, although there is some speculation that hydraulic fracturing taints drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency does not see an absolute connection regarding the …show more content…
A proposal is to eliminate national tests of drinking water and public notification requirements about violations of drinking water standards. Another proposal is to allow states to give waivers to drinking water providers, allowing them a permanent right to violate the standard for a given contaminant if they claim they cannot afford to comply. There is also another suggestion to have affordable, feasible technology to remove cancer-causing contaminants - carcinogens such as