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Oil And Gas Industry In Texas

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The Oil and Gas industry plays a major role in the economic advancement in Texas. This industry provides Texans with great paying jobs, 15.7 billion dollars of taxes and royalties used for funds such as education and highways. The benefits are not only seen in Texas but also nationwide with the production of plastics, medicines, computers, life-saving devices and much more. Unfortunately, the Oil and Gas industry poses a great threat on the environment and human health. In 2015, 68 million pounds of illegal air pollution were reported from the Oil and Gas industry alone; surpassing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) level of concern standard. The pollutants associated with this industry were detected in air and water in many …show more content…
With a growing population comes the demand for housing. Many communities developing around existing Oil and Gas facilities have witnessed health declines associated with the Oil and Gas industry. In a recent study conducted under the Oil and Gas Accountability Project in the city of Clark, Texas; 61% of health issues reported in this community were directly related to Oil and Gas pollutants. Many of these pollutants occur from poor regulations and very minimal fines to the organization. With tougher regulations and heavier fines and consequences, the Oil and Gas industry may make our environment and health concerns their top priority.
The Texas Oil industry was founded in 1543 in Port Arthur, Texas. Since then the Oil industry has seen a major expansion. The Oil and Gas industry takes over the north, east and western parts of the state, employing over 1.8 billion Texans. The services provided are very beneficial to our economy; some of the benefits coming from the Oil and Gas industry are the ability for transportation, production of key necessities such as carpentry, fertilizers, rubbers, and plastics, and contribution to our economic …show more content…
These services can be beneficial to many companies for better forecast on oil production and greater profit outcome. However, many toxic pollutants and toxic wastes are directly correlated with these services. Deep well drilling is one of the top contributors of methane emissions which is largely responsible for climate change. Deep well drilling is the practice of drilling through sediment layers and shale rock formations, using a cement casing to inject water, fracture fluid, chemicals, and sand in attempt to fracture the shale rock formation. The ultimate goal is to obtain Oil and Gas from these fractures. The practice of this service is very controversial due to the effects it has on the contamination and consumption of our water. Oil and gas production is responsible for releasing more acid rain-causing sulfur dioxide, and more smog-causing and often toxic volatile organic compounds from malfunctions than any other industrial sector. During breakdowns and maintenance, Oil and Gas equipment are releasing dangerous amounts of cancer-causing benzene and hydrogen sulfide. In 2015, Shell’s Deer Park oil refinery released 171 tons of air pollutants; of these 171 tons, 154 tons were carcinogen, 1,3-Butadiene. This was a result of a 1 hour breakdown. The Oil and Gas industry is greatly responsible for releasing methane, sulfur dioxide, and carcinogens into our environment. Many of these

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