Fracking Effects

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Fracking is currently one of the most effective and economically beneficial methods of extracting natural gases from the earth. However, the environmental issues caused by fracking should be an obvious reason for the needed tightening of regulations on fracking for natural gas. Fracking is a more commonly used word for Hydraulic Fracturing. Fracking has been used commercially for almost 65 years. Hydraulic Fracturing requires tapping shale and rock formations by drilling about a mile below the surface, and then rotating horizontally and drilling thousands of feet more. A single fracking site can consist of a large number of wells. One drilled, cased, and cemented, small openings are made in the horizontal part of the pipes with a water, sand, …show more content…
Another commonly believed effect is that fracking will set fire to your home faucets. The 2010 documentary GasLand shows potential hazards of methane polluted water, appearing to be due to local fracking. In the documentary, a person’s water is contaminated with methane. While the effects of this film are true, and possible, it’s not to blame for fracking. The effects of methane in water, are from poorly drilled tunnels into methane pockets, and can happen in areas that do not involve fracking sites. It is possible to happen in any area, even those that are not affected by fracking. While it’s possible, this is very uncommon. The tools and components that contain the mixtures and gases are enclosed in cement and steel to do its best to prevent it from escaping. If the materials are made properly, it is impossible for the gases to escape. Fracking is also drilled far below the earth’s surface, so any escaped gases would have to somehow travel through rock that is solid, in order to reach nearby water sources near the earth’s surface. These problems are not common, and are at fault of the company's lack of strong equipment, if it does in-fact happen. However, this is not a valid reason to destroy the benefits of fracking, when done …show more content…
According to Brookings:
The U.S fracking revolution has caused natural gas prices to drop 47 percent compared to what the price would have been prior to the fracking revolution in 2013.” Another study from Brookings shows: “Gas bills have dropped $13 billion per year from 2007 to 2013 as a result of increased fracking, which adds up to $200 per year for gas-consuming households. Moreover, all types of energy consumers, including commercial, industrial, and electric power consumers, saw economic gains totaling $74 billion per year from increased fracking. (Dews)
Even with such economic benefits, the environment’s health, and the individual’s, should be
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