...Hydrofracking Edwin R. Visser POL/215 July 15, 2015 Tim Buchanan Hydrofracking Hydraulic fracturing or better known as “hydrofracking” (also commonly referred to as simply fracking) has been around since the late 1940’s. According to "Coloradans For Responsible Energy Development" (2014), "more than two million wells have been fracked to date in the U.S.” (Top 10 Fracking Facts). Fracking is a controversial topic with a broad range audience. Governments, Agencies, the general public, and not to mention the Media have endless discussions about the good, the bad, and the ugly of this mostly misunderstood topic. Hydrofracking is used to release natural gas from underground shale formations. One of the biggest and most controversial shale formations is the Marcellus Shale. Onshore Natural gas and oil production is carried out by private companies; however government regulation is critical. State governments are the primary regulators of these activities. Therefore, minimum uniform regulation exists nationwide. Supporters of fracking believe that State regulations already in place are more than sufficient to protect the public and natural resources, especially the precious water supply. Supporters also believe that further EPA regulations “could hurt the industry and the economy” (Hydrofracking). Elizabeth Jones, the chair of the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates mining and drilling in the state, said: “If some of the new EPA regulations considered today...
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...risk associated with hydrofracking and provide an unbiased, scientific source to provide you with the correct information to make your decision. One of the major concerns of hydrofracking that jeopardizes our health concerns the nondisclosure of the chemicals that are used in fracking fluids. We know that water and cement is used, but companies are not required to disclose what chemicals are added to their “propriety...
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...Evaluation of Talisman Energy’s Hydraulic Fracturing Practises in Hudson Hope ABSTRACT To meet the demand of oil in today’s oil dependent society, Talisman Energy is looking to exploit a mine located in Hudson Hope, British Colombia. The most suitable extraction process is hydraulic fracturing, which currently presents several environmental concerns to the residents located near the mine, and a representation of the general public who believe that hydraulic fracturing is not an ethical method of extraction. Talisman Energy has recently been granted a long term contract to utilize fresh water from BC Hydro’s Williston Reservoir. Local residents are concerned about the additives used in Talismans fracking process, as well as the depletion of their fresh water source. The major environmental concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing include the presence of fracking additives in ground water supply, human induced earthquakes, and the use of large amounts of fresh water supply. Talisman Energy’s proposed plan of action was evaluated using a set of ethical decision making criteria in order to determine if Talisman Energy can be considered an ethical and socially responsible company. An analysis of the criteria determined that Talisman Energy currently fails to operate as an ethical and socially responsible company. Specifically, Talisman Energy did not take the initiative to evaluate more sustainable fresh water sources. It was concluded that upon further exploration in...
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...said, could greatly decrease U.S. dependence on foreign oil and possibly drive energy prices down." In order to access the natural gas in the U.S. shale formations, energy companies have employed a controversial procedure called hydraulic fracturing—also known as "hydrofracking" or simply "fracking." Hydrofracking is a technique that releases natural gas by pumping millions of gallons of water, laced with sand and chemicals, thousands of feet underground to blast open, or fracture, shale formations, freeing the gas. [See Today's Science: Natural Gas—Bridge to the Future?] This process has raised numerous questions and uncertainty in minds of many critics and supporters. Supporters of hydrofracking are arguing that there is no proven case of hydrofracking contaminating drinking water, and the process is perfectly safe. On the other hand, Critics of hydrofracking arguing that the chemicals used in fracking fluid are toxic and pose a danger to public health if they contaminate drinking water reserves or leak out of wells. Oil and gas companies are not being honest with the public about the dangers of hydrofracking, and the federal government should apply much stricter, nationwide regulations to ensure that hydrofracking does not cause widespread health problems that could plague the public for...
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...Hydrofracking in Marcellus shale: The Consequences of America’s Gas Rush Introduction Demand for fossil fuels in America has led to a flurry of unorthodox methods for the extraction of natural gas. Fracking or hydrofracking in the U.S.A has proven to be an efficient way of extracting natural gas from permeable rock. A new large scale hydrofracking operation has been proposed in the eastern states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. This method of extraction is highly controversial, and is thought to have severe environmental and potential health consequences. This essay will provide further insight into the practice of Fracking in an area of shale known as Marcellus shale, and help to expose the environmental and human implications. What is Hydrofracking? Hydraulic Fracturing is an un-conventional process used in the extraction of gas in permeable rock (David 1973). A horizontal well is drilled into permeable rock such as shale and is injected with millions of gallons a high pressure fluid known as frac-fluid, this fluid is a mixture of sand, water, and an array of lubricating chemicals (Deutch 2011). The high pressure frac-fluid forces open fishers (cracks) within the rock which are kept open with sand granules; this allows pockets of gas to flow more easily from the shale (David 1973). Once the well is depleted all fluid that can be recycled is extracted, and the well is capped to stop any unused gas escaping (David 1973). The process of fracking is expensive and requires...
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...Research Based Argument Paper David Odenweller 05/04/2014 Welcome to the machine Hydraulic fracturing has become one of the key issues of our time, due to the important part it plays in our nation’s ambitions for a clean and sustainable energy future. Due to recent technological advances in horizontal drilling techniques, the vast natural gas reserves found within the shale formations underground in the United States have become easily accessible. Responsible development of these resources is believed to be key to a sustainable financial, and environmentally prosperous future for America. However, recent environmental and health concerns beg to differ, and question whether these new developments pose more of a threat to americans than they are worth. Nature sustains life on our planet. Humans have developed an organization of society that runs on machines. What does it take to run the machines that power our world? Our society also runs on money. So anything that plays into the running of our society must must invariably be tied to how it profits the people in charge of running things. How does it benefit us as a whole? This question is larger than the debate which this paper addresses, yet it is valid in that it is an overarching theme that drives the situation behind the issues within. A big part of what our economy has deemed is important in order to sustain the current level of comfort that we have been sold is largely based on non-renewable energy sources such as...
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...Multiple Governments and Intergovernmental Relationships LaShon Thomas POL 215 September 18, 2014 Dr. David Waldman Multiple Governments and Intergovernmental Relationships The founding fathers created the constitution, outlaying the branches of government and clarifying their roles and responsibilities, providing a checks and balances system. It is comprised of three branches, the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. Each state, city and county has its own constitution that outlines the levels of local government. In the beginning, the idea was to create a government that could efficiently establish laws and enforce them, but also ensure that no one person or one group of people could not possess all of the power. Although the constitution offers the ability of all states to work together as one, it also sanctions the sovereignty of each state. However, to govern effectively and protect the rights of the people, all of these entities must work together in harmony to resolve issues. Advantages of Intergovernmental Relationships While state government has the most authority over the lives of the people through state laws and taxes, they often partner with the U.S. government to govern efficiently. This form of governing has its advantages and disadvantages. This theory allows the U.S. government to manage higher level situations such as international relationships as well as allocate funds or resource for issues pertaining to the...
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...Hydro-Fracking Synopsis Hydraulic Fracturing, commonly known as Hydro-Fracking is a newly discovered drilling technique for extracting natural gas from rock shale formations. These shale formations are quite abundant throughout the United States the largest being the Marcellus which encompasses a range of West Virginia to Upstate New York. Estimates predict that these 30 shale formations could provide enough natural gas for US consumption for 118 years (Fortin). Although there appears to be vast amounts of shale fissures containing natural gas within our nation, the extraction process has come under harsh scrutiny. The process of drilling and extracting these gases from the shale formations requires creating fissures within the shale by drilling horizontally, forcing water, sand and chemicals into the rock. In each 10,000 ft well over a million gallons of water is pumped, along with sand in chemicals agents in order to cause fissures. By flowing sand through the well, this acts to keep these fissures open, to allow the natural gas to escape. Between 2005-2009, the House Energy and Commerce committee released a report addressing the chemicals used in the hydro-fracking process. The report stated, “The 14 leading oil and gas service companies used more than 780 million gallons of hydraulic fracturing products, not including water added at the well site. Overall, the companies used more than 2,500 hydraulic fracturing products containing 750 different...
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...Hydraulic Fracturing or Hydro Fracking is a highly debated topic, even though it isn’t a new technology. In 1880 it was used as a way to enhance production to reactivate oil and gas. In the 1980’s experiments were performed in Texas in a large shale deposit called “Barnett Shale”. Today Hydrofracking is performed on shale deposits to remove fossil fuels. Even though hydro fracking has been around since 1860 the technique to get natural gas from shale is actually a new technology. There is much debate on whether hydrofracking is good or bad for the environment. Hydrofracking is the process of using fluids and water that is pumped at an extremely high pressure to crack or fracture the shale to get to the fossil fuel deposits inside of it. To get to the shale, companies have to drill deep into it before they can use the water to fracture it....
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...Lameka Thomas C. Arena Outline Paper C April 7, 2014 Fracking involves the extraction of natural gas from underground layers of shale. Through high-pressure injections wells dug deep into the ground, water mixed with toxic chemicals is used to create fissures in the shale through which the oil is then retrieved. This practice has made America the largest producer of energy in the world, yet the industry has its share of critics (np). In the article off, THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON “ Fact-Checking “. They talk about the movie Gasland Part II and the things they discovered while filming the documentary. The areas impacted by this are Texas, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and many more. Majority of the complaints are chemicals getting into the water of residents home and lands (np). Fracking is a growing industry that poses a number of troubling issues at the same time that it has increased American’s energy production considerably. 1. Topic Sentence: The Industry Defense talks about companies involved and what the future hold in the Industry. a. America's Natural Gas Alliance, Ardent is a privately held, independent oil and gas company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Marcellus Shale). b. America's Natural Gas Alliance exists to promote the economic, environmental and national security benefits of greater use of clean, abundant, domestic natural gas. c. The benefits of oil and gas development extend throughout the state in increased...
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...Running head: FRACKING AND THE EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT Fracking and the Effects on the Environment and Public Health G. White Professor Wells English 215 Research and Writing August 2, 2013 Fracking and the Effects on the Environment and Public Health People are now recognizing some serious concerns to the public health and the drinking water becoming contaminated, because the fracturing of shale in our communities and what can be done to stop it all. The hydraulic fracturing of shale needs to be, banned until further investigations are completed to determine how safe it is to people and the environment surrounding the drilling site. It all started with a few cases of illness, which everyone assumed was a virus that was going around. Over the past couple of years, these illnesses have become a very serious problem, not only to people but to animals and livestock too. This is a big concern and it is obvious that it is not a genetic disease as first thought. Far too many families, who are living near these drilling sites and have contracted the same illnesses in many different areas across the United States,. Is this a coincidence or facts of serious problems taking place in the United States from fracking? It is very important that everyone should be aware and to take notice how close to where they live and if any hydraulic fracturing is taking place because there is much more to this story than many people realize. The hydraulic fracturing of...
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...Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell) This suggests that the United States may not move away from fracking anytime soon. The Downsides of Fracking Due to fracking being a relatively new process, there have been many issues directly related to fracking. Joe Hoffman writes in his paper, Potential Health and Environmental Effects of Hydrofracking in the Williston Basin, Montana, “…each well can require up to 8 million gallons of water, and up to 40,000 gallons of chemicals…” This illustrates that the amount of water fracking consumes could become an issue. Even worse, according to author Joe Hoffman, some of the methane (which is a greenhouse gas) released from the fracking process escapes into the air. (Potential Health and Environmental Effects of Hydrofracking in the Williston Basin, Montana) This small amount of methane can contribute to some of the air pollution and climate problems around the world. For instance, the same paper by Joe Hoffman states, “…Wyoming ozone levels recorded at 124 parts per billion…” and also writes, “The Environmental Protection Agency's maximum healthy limit is 75 parts per billion.” (Potential Health and Environmental Effects of Hydrofracking in the Williston Basin, Montana) This supports the idea that fracking can cause air pollution as Wyoming is an area with a lot of fracking. According to BBC News, fracking might cause small earthquakes to occur more often in fracked areas. (What is fracking and why is it controversial? - BBC News) This means that in the...
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...Land Use Control in Hydraulic Fracturing Prepared for Katherine Wears, Phd. Professor and Assistant Dean at Clarkson University Prepared by Martin Sable Student, Masters in Engineering Management at Clarkson University August 10, 2014 Executive Summary This paper will review the process of hydraulic fracturing, its effects on the environment, and the opposition against the practice. A chronological discussion of lobbying activities and regulatory actions will be discussed, with a particular focus on land use control. A discussion of some of the past and potential future litigation on land rights related to the subject will be covered. The paper will end with the author’s opinion on the subject and of the potential future of the industry. Background Hydraulic Fracturing is a method of simulating well production in both natural gas and oil wells. It was first introduced in 1947, and was adopted for commercial applications as early as 1949.15 The process involves drilling wells deep into ground rock formations, then injecting fluids at high pressure into the ground. The high pressure causes fracturing of the rocks that release gas or oil into the wells that may then be extracted. In 1968 high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) was introduced, in an effort to tap into the large shale basins containing deposits of natural gas. The main difference between this and conventional hydraulic fracturing is tremendous volume of fracturing fluids that are pumped...
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...1. Hydraulic Fracturing (Hydrofracking): The Risks and Rewards of the Controversial Drilling Technique And the debate has been loud, as would be expected when enough natural gas to satisfy US demand for at least a decade is set against possible harm to the water supply for almost 10 million people in one of the world capitals of media, finance, and law. The real risk is pollution. Hydraulic fracturing can be done using nothing but pure water and clean sand—in fact, those are the substances used for opening up drinking water wells. However, for a number of reasons, including cost, availability, and other desired properties, a wide variety of other substances are also used, including: • Diesel fuel (used because it’s more effective at carrying the proppant into fissures than water), which contains benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, and naphthalene. • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. • Methanol. • Formaldehyde. • Ethylene glycol. • Glycol ethers. • Hydrochloric acid. • Sodium hydroxide. These chemicals are present in concentrations many times harmful levels. While much of the fracturing fluid is pumped out after doing its job (and it has to be pumped out, to clear the way for oil or gas), it’s impossible to get it all. Studies show that 20–40 percent of the fluid will remain underground. (Note: the study was commissioned in the context of using hydraulic fracturing to extract methane from coal...
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...1. Lancaster City Tap Water vs. Dasani Bottled Water Lancaster City tap water is tested by the Environmental Protection Agency in order to hold standards of metals, chemicals, microorganisms, and byproducts to ensure safety of the consumer. On the other hand, Dasani bottled water is tested by the Food and Drug Administration for the same contaminants and both tests hold the same Maximum Contaminant Levels, with the exception of lead, where Dasani has lower MCLs for the substance. Dasani bottled water is way more expensive than Lancaster City tap water considering the fact that each 550ml bottle requires 17L of water to produce. EWG testing for 10 popular brands show that there were an average of 8 pollutants in each brand of bottled water and 1/3 of the chemicals found are not regulated, thus exceeding the legal limit for tap water. Lancaster City tap water is probably a healthier choice to drink since the water is subject to annual testing that allows the public to see the MCLs, whereas there are no annual testing required for Dasani and bottled water. 2.Water Privatization: Benefits and Disadvantages Water privatization refers to the transfer of ownership of water resources from the public sector to the private sector. Because water services are seen as such a key public service, proposals for private sector participation often evoke strong opposition. Globally, more than 90% of water and sanitation systems are publicly owned and operated. Water privatization functions...
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