Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

Submitted By
Words 1270
Pages 6
Most people cannot light their tap water on fire; however, Mike Markham from Weld County in Colorado did in the film Gasland (23:35). This may not be any more rare because of fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, also referred to as fracking, is a highly controversial process in which shale gas is extracted from the earth by injecting pressurized liquid into a deeper reservoir to fracture rocks. This technique has been widely used by many oil companies in central and eastern states. While proponents argue that it is safe and is needed to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions, critics claim that it may be causing earthquakes and are contaminating water systems.
Hydraulic fracking is a process that many companies use. “Put simply, hydraulic fracturing …show more content…
From 1967-2000, there was a normal of 21 earthquakes for every year in the United States that were 3.0 or more on the Richter scale in the central and eastern states. From that point forward, while fracking turned into a need in the US, the number of quakes at this level has expanded by a factor of four (“26 Pros and Cons Of Fracking” 5). On the other hand, a big wide variety of wells were made using the fracking method, and the quantity of earthquakes have been insignificant (“26 Pros and Cons Of Fracking” 3). Methane is an ozone-harming substance, which hints that it is a greenhouse gas which is also a cause of global warming (Squire 35, 36). The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says that fracking can contaminate groundwater tables, tap water systems, and wells and if methane gets into the …show more content…
The energy from the sun is converted to other forms of energy. Solar cells turn the radiation into electricity (Squire 43). Warring parties say that the fracking produced will be an issue because people may not try as hard to increase renewable power like solar and wind power, which would hurt efforts to stop global warming (Newsela Staff 3). Geothermal energy is used when people dig wells and pump heated steam or water to the top of the well. Then, they pump the water or steam into buildings to give heat (Squire 47). John Fox is a film chief and his 2010 film Gasland pointed ou fracking discussion. After the movie’s discharge, he has been a substantial rival of fracking (Squire 57). Barack Obama is a prominent person in the world of fracking and thinks the nation should loosen their grip on international energy. He supports fracking but is concerned about fracking’s effect on the

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...fracturing, otherwise known as “fracking,” by definition, means the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground thousands of feet deep, at a high pressure; in order to fracture shale rocks to release the natural gases inside (Schrope n.d.). A more adequate explanation on to why we perform the method of “fracking” is that it is an easier process to obtain the natural gases inside the rocks. These natural gases are used for many sources of energy throughout the world. Natural gases have also been proven to be more cleaner and more efficient source than coal. The process of fracking involves drilling through deep wells into the shale rocks which breaks up the rock shales releasing these natural gases. While fracking has been a more efficient and cleaner process, there are many dangers that come along with this process which many people overlook. With many countries including the United States using fracking, it is still on going method that many still use today. With this, there are many pros and cons that come along with fracking. This has been a...

Words: 984 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...is a large debate about fracking. Fracking is the process of forming new gases instead of using fossil fuels. This debate considers on whether fracking is better for the society or if it’s harming humanity. Those who agree that fracking is a good idea have a claim of saying that it is a short to medium term to meeting our demands for a lower cost in energy. However, those who disagree state that it is harmful because of the amount of gas it is producing into the atmosphere. So is fracking resourceful or is it harmful?The pros of fracking are that it produces less harmful gases into the atmosphere than coal.Stated in Source B, “Using natural gas to heat our homes...

Words: 589 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...One can’t understand what fracking actually does without knowing what it is. Fracking is a term that is for hydraulic fracturing which is a process for a liquid being injected into rock so then it creates a fracture in them that allows it to open more and release oil and natural gas. There have been many opinions on whether fracking is good or bad but in my opinion fracking isn’t really a good thing, There are many pros and cons about deciding if fracking is a good or a bad thing. Some pros about fracking that are said in Source B is “that the natural gas industry claims that fracking is safe, using natural gas to heat homes and power for the cars releases fewer carbon emissions than coal, and in oil and gas industry have many contractor and subcontractor jobs that are tied to...

Words: 440 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...Fracking is the process in which a drill is drilled down into the earth before high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand, and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressures which allow the gas flow to flow out. Many have opposing views towards fracking. Others don’t oppose the idea of fracking, in fact, they believe it would help the environment. One would be on the pro side or the con. Some cons would be: The chemicals pumped into the rocks could eventually reach groundwater, and companies don’t have to provide information on what chemicals they have used. The pros would be: the United States would become less dependent, and it provides a safer way to obtain gas. Obtaining natural...

Words: 429 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...The demand of increasing energy resources has tormented the United States in the past few decades. The availability of these resources has become questionable for the future not knowing what can be done for the sustainability of the United States. The United States would like to develop a method to obtain renewable and environment-friendly energy sources for the future. In this paper, I will be elaborating on the process of increasing oil and gas production with the method of “fracking”. What is fracking? This is a question I asked myself when doing this research paper. The solution of hydraulic fracturing also knowing as “fracking” is a quite interesting method that was discovered many years ago but has it’s pro and cons. Fracking is defined...

Words: 326 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...global temperatures by using fossil fuels, fracking supporters have argued that it would be wise to embrace natural gas as a cleaner source of energy. Despite the appeal of natural gas as a carbon free alternative, those opposing the procedure of fracking argue that this procedure is damaging the environment, polluting drinking water supply and causing health concerns to populations in close proximity. By exploring both sides of this controversial procedure, this paper will show that there are many problems to solve before natural gas becomes a more environmental friendly and sensible alternative to fossil fuels. According to earth works, geologic formations may contain large quantities of oil or...

Words: 1821 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...Extracting natural gas from the ground is not something new and has been done for hundreds of years. A relative new way to extract it has been controversial since its introduction in the late 1990’s. This method is called hydraulic fracturing, or better known as fracking. This form of drilling technique has made it possible to retrieve natural gas and oil reserves that had before been considered difficult to retrieve. This development has led the energy industry in the United States to raise dramatically its estimates of the nation’s natural gas and oil reserves and has caused fracking drills to pop up all across the nation. But fracking has also brought with it criticism due to concerns over groundwater contamination, air pollution, and other...

Words: 1274 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Fracking Pros And Cons

...transpire by undergoing the process of Hydraulic Fracturing, also known as and most commonly called, Fracking. Fracking is the process whereby natural gas is extracted from underground rock formations, known as shale, with the...

Words: 716 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...What is fracking? According to the sources provided hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a different and less expensive method used to extract natural gas out of the ground. This process is done by fracturing porous rock with water, sand, and chemicals to free the gas inside the rock. This procedure is affordable and less complicated than the other strategies used to withdraw natural gas from the ground. Although fracking is more economical there are some disadvantages. For instance, the chemicals utilized in fracking. In source c it explains the downsides of fracking and goes in depth about how, “fracking not only consumes large quantities of fresh water but in...

Words: 584 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...Fracking has become a game changer in the current economy increasing oil importation in the USA because of the new reserves of natural gas are being uncovered by this new method. However, fracking has the potential to ruin the land that it takes place in as well as ruin the economy locally and nationally in the long run. The main objective of fracking is to release natural gas from deep underground reservoirs, however, this allows gases, primarily methane, to contaminate several aspects of the environment. Methane is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, and currently, the estimated 4% of methane escaping from these wells is equivalent to the carbon emissions from 1-3 million cars. Other byproducts of fracking are known carcinogens and can cause short-term illness, organ damage, nervous system disorders, birth defects, and even death. Results of fracking...

Words: 594 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...Hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as fracking, is a type drilling used for recovering natural gas from underground reserves. Fracking is used worldwide to extract natural gas. Fracking has been becoming huge way to drill in the United States. It is to be said that Fracking is lower cost than open pit mining. The mining companies portray it to be a cleaner method than other ways to recover other sources of energy.these energy sources meet the U.S energy requirements. These could also potentially power most of the U.S for decades. Protesters say that these big mining companies are hiding the real effects of fracking. There are a lot of pollutants that are used in Fracking. When companies say that all has been extracted,people end up with contaminated water. A long list of effects includes air pollution, groundwater contamination, health problems and surface water pollution....

Words: 291 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...What is more important, the cost of oil and gas, or the health of the human race? Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing, more commonly known as “fracking” remains a relatively uncommon drilling technology. There was only one in fourteen wells drilled in the United States and Canada horizontally in 2002 (Gold). In 2012, six of every ten wells were horizontal. It is a process in which sand, water, and chemicals are used to blast open shale rock to release the gases that are trapped inside. After the vertical depth of the well is achieved, the drilling continues horizontally. Unfortunately, fracking is proven to cause environmental and health problems in humans and animals. It is also a risk to nearby plant life. The risks of fracking do not out way...

Words: 1958 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...What is fracking? fracking kills and sets water a blaze.Fracking is when they drill into the earth a mile down and gradually turn horizontal for a thousand more feet (what is fracking). Then they send a bomb down the hole to break up the shell rock. After the shellis broken up “gallons of water,sand,and an extensive list of manmade chemicals are injected into the well under high pressure” (shale stuff). Ather the shell dissolves it is extracted as oil or gas. This is why I believe that fracking is bad. The first way it is bad is it hurts the earth because of, toxic chemicals that leak into the groundwater supply. The second way fracking hurts the earth, is it causes earthquakes.It also cases sink holes because it removes the shell rock from...

Words: 354 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...Fracking is defined as "the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc., so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas". This means that fracking is one of the methods used to gain access to the fossil fuels that help run our everyday lives. If you think about what you actually do on a daily basis practically everyone makes use of these fossil fuels routinely. Think about how it, many people drive to school or work, catch the bus, travel by train or airplane? Practically everyone across the globe definitely uses electricity to light and maintain and cool in their homes. In air traffic alone, today there are 5,000 airplanes flying through the sky at any given time and throughout the whole of 2016 alone there were 26,527 flights per day on average across the world! Now add all of the personal vehicles across the world and other means of transportation that all run on fossil fuel. Over the...

Words: 1955 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

...A big debate is brewing in the horizon’s! Has high volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) also known as “fracking” actively destroyed, and polluted the air we breathe, and the water we drink? Even though hydraulic fracturing was patented in 1869 the procedure is relatively new to the eastern states, showing up in Pennsylvania around 2003 (Mrdjen, Igor and Jiyoung Lee). With the invention of HVHF the United States has surpass both Russia and Saudi Arabia in the production in natural oil and gas. So much so that the United States has been labeled as the world’s top producer of natural oil and gas since 2009 (Mrdjen, Igor and Jiyoung Lee). Hydraulic fracturing operations consist of drilling a vertical borehole to a predetermined depth. The borehole...

Words: 278 - Pages: 2