...Fracking Fracking is a process used by drilling companies to release gas or recover oil found under the ground below the shale rock. The process involves drilling horizontally into the ground using a high pressure mixture of water, sand, and chemicals. The goal of the drilling is to release the gas or oil located in pockets under the ground. This process is known as fracking because the drilling process causes the rocks under the ground to fracture. Fracking is the current method used to release gas and oil from under the ground but the process creates many concerns due to its danger to human life and the environment. The use of fracking to release natural gas from the earth has created major concern. Currently the gas and oil industry are on a hunt for natural gas and oil...
Words: 920 - Pages: 4
...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
...renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Coal seam and shale reserves are widely found across Australia, particularly in Eastern Australia. Fracking, or more commonly known as Hydraulic Fracturing, is the technique used to extract coal seam and shale gases from rock as it improves the flow of gases that are difficult to access (Pearson, 2015). With the ability to use the fracking method to extract coal seam and shale gases, the mining industry considers this a viable and practical mining technique. However, there are debates on the social and environmental impacts of this mining practice. What is Fracking: Fracking is the process by which heavy machinery drills down into the hard rock layer below the earth’s surface. Fluid is then injected into the ground through a pipeline, while methane gas and chemicals are used to hold open the cracks in the rock layer (Dong, 2014). High pressure water mixture, containing sand and chemicals, is then directed at the rock, releasing the gas inside. It is a procedure that has been available for over 60 years (globally), as an alternative to the traditional unconventional gas extraction methods, but was not considered a cost effective method due to the low prices of gas. To drill a gas well, it uses up to 11-34 million litres of water to complete each job (Williams, 2015). The fracking fluid is made up of sand, water and typically 5-10 chemicals. Some of the main chemicals used are hydrochloric acid- used to dissolve minerals, glutaraldehyde-...
Words: 1161 - Pages: 5
...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
...mortality rates worldwide, due to hunger, depression, suicide and lack of resources. My choice would be the “fracking” proposal which can avert the recession & boost the economy. “Green Wind Turbine” would be unsuccessful during recession, since its expense is more than its revenue. And, without economic viability all other stakeholders’ interests are lost. Utilitarianism supports “fracking” as it produces “greatest good for the greatest number”. In the end it will create millions of jobs, help boost economy, meet Canadian and US oil needs and supports ‘energy security’. We cannot address all concerns from all stakeholders at all times. “fracking” serves the majority of Primary and Secondary stakeholders which have a higher priority in the stakeholder typology. The non-social stakeholders are dormant and are a minority. Utilitarianism being a consequential principle focuses on the ends, and ignore the means. The shortcoming of “fracking” is that on the way to boost economy via oil production, it’s also boosting environmental and ecological dangers. Emissions, pollution, wastes, chemicals, contamination are bi-products of oil extraction by “fracking”. This principle drives us to ignore the primary and secondary non-social stakeholders and may cause an irreversible damage, while focussing on producing utility for the majority. The principle of Moral Rights supports the “fracking” proposal because it is giving the current generation the right to live and a means of livelihood, job...
Words: 1857 - Pages: 8
...Working Outline Thesis: The use of hydraulic fracturing or “Fracking” to provide natural gas is immoral because the risks far outweigh the advantages on an environmental and ethical scale. I. What is Fracking? A. Used to release oil or gas from underground formations of shale beds that are too hard to mine. 1. It can pollute local water systems * Toxins from the fracking leak into water systems and poison them * The toxins can get into the drinkable water supply and ruin them 2. The chemicals used damage the environment * The greenhouse emissions from fracking are almost less than half of what we get from coal furnaces. They still have an effect on the air, so one form of pollution changes with another, when there are clean air energy alternatives that have not been utilized effectively. * The recovered water that is used during fracking is usually held in open pits close to the well site causing contamination to nearby wildlife. II. Fracking consumes over one million gallons of water, which only half is recoverable. A. The amount of water used to frack some wells is well over a million gallons. Only 30 to 50% of that water is recoverable. B. 40,000 gallons of chemicals are used per well in fracking. Many of these chemicals haven’t been disclosed to the public at all. III. Fracking can cause a buildup of methane gas in groundwater in surrounding areas. A. Methane gas is a highly flammable, colorless and odorless gas....
Words: 483 - Pages: 2
...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
...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
...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
...gas industry in the world. They owned 21,000 services stations worldwide and their brand is most trusted in the world. Then an incident occur in 2012, where BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig has exploded that causes 11 deaths and oil slick at the Gulf of Mexico. BP is being fined billion of dollar by the US government and need to compensate the others that affected by it. 1.1 Political Factors Most of the oil reserved in the worlds are owned by the nation government. Due to the incident, BP is under pressured by the huge fined and they are lacked of expertise in solving this problem which is a political for them. Not only US government are involved but other oil industries in the incident area are also affected which it’s going to be a huge threat for BP....
Words: 796 - Pages: 4
...largest economy that have a good prime market, political stability, military strength, foreign investment, international trade and many more. Plus it all started in 1932 when Joseph Schumpeter an American develop the innovation concept of fracking. France, Bulgaria and Poland have the largest shale reserves in European. France was banned fracking in 2001 due to environmental awareness and Bulgarian too banned in 2012 for the same reasons. Poland also has been banned from using fracking because they are protecting their quality water supplies and currently being managed by coal for power energy. Other than that, China also have a large shale gas reserve at about 1,275 trillion cubic feet. It have not yet been develop so China lose the availability of cheap natural gas. 2. Which countries gain and which countries lose from the availability of cheap natural gas? Based on the case study Germany has gradually shutter all its nuclear power plants and increase reliance on solar and wind energy because their underground water are world famous breweries and they wanted to look after it. Other than that, in India they gained an unexpected discovery of profit by supplying guar to United State. They used it as a thickening agent for fracking process, to have a smoother managing process. Russia’s Gazprom is suspended from the delivery of natural gas because of the diplomatic policies. The...
Words: 1294 - Pages: 6
...were going about extracting the source of energy from the environment. The Impact on the environment can be catastrophic for all of the small waterways, which feed into bigger waterways, and eventually into the ocean. Amy Myers Jaffe Executive director for energy and sustainability, University of California, Davis is an advocate of drilling for natural gas or “Fracking”. She is also an expert on global energy policy, geopolitical risk, and energy and sustainability. Myers Jaffe argues that since “energy is a fundamental service for daily living”, it is necessary to search and extract new energy sources. She contends that since the United States use such a massive amount of energy, when those energy sources are used up, we cannot replace that energy with non-fossil fuels and it’s impossible to convert renewable energy into energy that can replace what is consumed by the United States. Amy contends...
Words: 489 - Pages: 2
...Solution and Advantages Derrick L. Catley Strayer University Professor Dimetri Richardson ENG 215 February 21, 2013 Is Hydraulic Fracking the Answer For the Future Some may say that hydraulic fracturing is the key to our future. Various people say that it will give America a secure energy future. A number of people say it is a step to energy independence. Others say that it is a threat to our society, environment, and our water supply. Others also say that it can cause major damage to home and areas in and around the fracturing sites. Corporations and many in the legislative branch want to see hydraulic fracturing as a major part of America moving forward towards energy independence. For the majority of individuals, the good outweighs the bad. The people in and around these fracturing sites tend to disagree. Logically, this would be the thing to do if safety measures were to be tightened. Ethically, they have to think of the dangers that it can pose to humans, wildlife, and the water supply. This is a very emotional subject to the people that live within the boundaries of the danger zone involved with hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing regulations should be changed because blowout, gas leaks, and home explosions can occur during hydraulic fracturing undertakings (Ehrenberg, 2012). With hydraulic fracturing being a major contributor to earthquakes, gas leaks, contaminated drinking water, and various other catastrophes, it is easy...
Words: 2171 - Pages: 9
...48% in shale gas alone and is expected to grow until 2035. This new technology has also increased the number of wells from 18,485 to 25,145 between the periods of 2004 to 2007 alone. One of the plausible advances’ is natural gas obtained through hydraulic fracking. A process commonly known as fracking. With the increase in production that fracking brings, it also brings some health hazards and presents danger to the environment. Though this process brings some hazards both health wise and environmentally, it has its benefits. The benefits it brings is a process that extracts clean fossil fuels that gives off less carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide. So even this process harms the environment it inadvertently helps the environment along with its ability to create jobs, influence energy cost and fix a growing energy crisis. Like any new process, both the benefits and the drawbacks need to be addressed. The problem that exist is deciding if the benefits of fracking are more beneficial or harmful to America. My role in this research is to present you with all the necessary information about the benefits and drawbacks of fracking. Research Question Is there a relationship between fracking and the cost of energy, jobs created, and potential hazards? Primary Research Variables and Level of...
Words: 1178 - Pages: 5
...Fracking...Is it the Right answer? Darrell E Davison BCOM/275 JAN 1 2012 Betsy Wampler Fracking...Is it the Right answer? In the 21st century world we live, the advances in technology and research have created an environment that information is passed instantly. The world wide web and social media are instruments used to pass information to the masses quicker than anytime in human history. That information now more than ever is used to spread awareness on matters of importance to promote action in a group of people. On of the major issues the public now faces is the issue of Energy. On a broad scale, the production of Energy and also its consumption is the fodder of political pundits and environmentalist no longer. Recent elections here in the United States along with several successful documentaries have brought an unprecedented level of awareness to the arguments made by proponents of both sides of issues. In America, these lines seem to even ride along political divisions. Conservatives tend to be less likely to adhere to warnings of environmentalist, while Liberals seem to lean more toward acceptance. A fairly new technology has come to the nation’s forefront and promoted some spirited debate. The issue is Hydraulic Fracturing or as it is commonly referred to “Fracking”. We will examine the pros and cons of both and why it should not be used as an option to future Energy Production What is Fracking? The process of” Fracking” means injecting millions...
Words: 1126 - Pages: 5
