Apr
2
Fracking can be looking upon in two perspectives, as a way that harms the environment or bring a source of oil. As with every controversial issue, there are advantages and disadvantages. Some of the advantages include lower gas prices and secure gas supplies for the next 100 years. However, disadvantages include environmental hazards and climate changes.
When I read about the potential harm to the water source in New York, I automatically disapproved. New York City has one of the cleanest drinking waters as compared to other states. The Catskills reservoir system which provides drinking water without filtration for ten million residents in New York City. In addition to contaminating water sources, air quality would also be put at risk. A clean water source and air quality should be prioritized rather than a way to generate oil and make gas prices cheaper. In addition to this, other countries lack the benefit of drinking clean water and to decrease that amount would be even more risky. However, rather than ban fracking altogether; I believe there should be regulations in order to prevent irresponsible drilling. Similarly to the UK, which was mentioned by the BBC News article “What is fracking and why is it controversial,” UK imposes a mandatory license in order to be fracking, although not happening currently.
For Andrew Cuomo to ban fracking in New York State, it seems as if he’s doing it not for the right intentions, but for politics. The New York Times Article entitled “Citing Health Risks, Cuomo Bans Fracking in New York” mentions how he desires for a third of the votes that his Republican opponent received because of his opposition to fracking. He realizes the power that falls in the hands of environmentalists. He’s also gaining approval and trust from a lot of fellow New Yorkers as well.
However, since Andrew Cuomo did propose a ban, when he leaves office, what would happen then? The ban could be lifted then. Fracking brings in a great amount of money for the United States and provide temporary jobs. However, this only brings short term benefits. In the long run, it would be damaging to the environment, which would cause for harm toward animals and other living creatures due to runoff, global warming, and possible sources of earthquakes. Not to mention, the extensive use of water used in fracking is very costly.
The harm that fracking would cause in this case, would indefinitely change the way people live and generate a higher number of illnesses, which would outweigh the benefits that it may lead to. Rather than focus on fracking, research can be put into other ways of generating a renewable energy source. In the long term, there needs to be better ways to generate enough energy for the society and relying on nonrenewable resources should not be the answer.
