Fracking in the U.S.

Ian Grant
12/3/2014

Fracking in the U.S.

     The U.S. is known for borrowing materials and using unorthodox methods to extract materials the country needs. Oil is a general material that America gets both by borrowing from other countries and using drilling and fracking to extract oil in reserves located beneath U.S. soil. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is an innovative and cost-saving process for drilling oil and gas from rock formations far underground. Michigan is where most of the fracking in the states occurs due to large shale deposits located there. Proponents say fracking is safe and note its positive impact on the state economy. Critics say the process carries risks, both known and unknown, concerning water supply and public health and should be more closely monitored by regulatory agencies.

     Supporters see Fracking as a way to boost economic growth and allow America to become self-sustained with fossil fuels. There are enough fossil fuels “locked” in bedrock shale formations under North American soil to make the United States energy independent, and a net exporter of oil and gas, in the future. Tapping those energy sources would make the United States less dependent, economically and politically, on unstable countries such as Venezuela and the Middle East. It would also enable the West to be less dependent on Russian natural gas, which Vladimir Putin currently uses as a political lever. According to the Natural Gas Industry (NGI), they feel that fracking is a safe procedure because it is located far below the water table during extraction posing minimal risks to groundwater.

     Those against fracking would state how the pumping in fact does pose a large risk on groundwater contamination because of the procedure use and the disclosure of company chemical lists to the public. As well as the depletion of the groundwater table poses a risk for the current and future water supply. Because fracking involves pumping a concoction of water, sand and chemicals into the ground to break apart the bedrock, environmentalists and private landowners worry that those chemicals could reach, and poison, the groundwater. Also, companies are not required to disclose the chemicals they use, or the formula of the mixture, in the process. This makes it difficult for local residents to prepare for an accident or emergency, and difficult for scientists to gauge the threat posed by the chemicals if an epidemic does arise. In Michigan, is required to remove an estimated 35 million gallons of freshwater from nearby aquifers per fracking well which is the highest rate in the nation. There increases in the demand for fuel and oil each year which can result in more drilling which could deplete our local water supplies.

     Fracking is a beneficial process for extracting fossil fuels efficiently. It allows for the U.S. to become more self-sustaining with power and energy, but may cause more damage to the environment that good for the economy. It could cause mass contamination that could poison or deplete our water supply. The cities won't survive or prosper if the water supply is tampered with. Precautions must be taken to either cut-down or increase monitoring of fracking sites to ensure safety for the public.