Apr
2
Blog Post #13: Hydraulic Fracturing Is Not Worth It
April 2, 2015 | Leave a Comment
In Thomas Kaplan’s New York Times article, it was mentioned that Governor Cuomo said “I’ve never had anyone say to me ‘I believe fracking is great.’… What I get is ‘I have no alternative but fracking.'” Hydraulic fracturing, although widely used, has very serious environmental effects that can only be felt over time. There are many alternatives that can replace this technique to generate energy, and it is about time we start looking into them rather than rely on such a harming option.
Hydraulic fracturing, as mentioned in the articles, is “the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside.” This technique allows for us to draw gas from deep under the ground. As oil and gas are nonrenewable resources we are running low of, this technique allows us to continue the constant supply stream that we depend on everyday. In the United States, hydraulic fracturing has significantly increased domestic production of oil and gas, especially in Texas, Pennsylvania, and New York. Additionally, it has been noted that the fracking of shale gas can contribute immensely to the future energy needs of the United Kingdom.
Despite all the ways hydraulic fracturing can prolong our dependence on gas and oil, there are most definitely drawbacks. As mentioned in the BBC article, fracking requires an enormous amount of water. Each gas well individually requires 400 tanker trucks to carry water and supplies to and from the sites. Aside from large amounts of water, over 600 different chemicals make up the fracking fluid. Many of these chemicals, however, are carcinogenic and toxic in nature. Considering there are approximately 500,000 active gas wells in the United States, 8 million gallons of water is required per fracking, and each gas well can be fracked about 18 times, it can be estimated that approximately 72 billion gallons of water and 360 billion gallons of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals are needed to run the fracking industry only in the United States!
This, however, does not even begin to take into account the contamination and further environmental effects of fracturing. During the hydraulic fracturing process, methane gas and other toxins are released and allowed to contaminate nearby groundwater. It has been researched and shown that water wells near hydraulic fracturing sites have methane concentrations 17x higher than a normal water well! Unfortunately, much of the drinking water in these water wells are utilized for consumption in nearby towns and cities. Additionally, only 30-50% of the non-biodegradable fracking fluid is recovered. The other 50-80% is left in the ground. This waste fluid is left in open air pits to evaporate into the atmosphere, releasing volatile organic compounds that create, to list a few, contaminated air, acid rain, and ground level ozone.
With all these additional harmful side effects, hydraulic fracturing is just not a viable option for us to continue relying on. Hydraulic fracturing creates approximately 300,000 barrels of gas per day. However, there is no point in making so much when the environment we live in cannot be sustained. Instead, we should look towards more innovative renewable energy that can supply us with fuel and also improve the environment.
-Amy (SiJia) You
