Wasted water is not the only aquatic implication of fracturing rather, spills of fracturing chemicals may also contaminate surface water resources, endanger marine life, and pollute human drinking water. For example, the practice requires vast quantities of water: in 2010, the US Environmental Protection Agency approximated that fracking 35,000 wells utilizes 70 to 140 billion gallons of water per year (“Hydraulic Fracturing 101”). One might assume such a prevalent practice to be accompanied by few negative side effects the consequences of hydraulic fracturing, however, contradict such a supposition.įracking is associated with various detrimental environmental and safety impacts. This process is quite common: fracking has occurred in over one million oil wells since 1940 (“The Facts”) and, in 2011, natural gas extracted from shale rocks comprised over 30% of our nation’s total natural gas supply (“Fracking Pros and Cons”). Fracking, which involves drilling deep into Earth and “pumping millions of gallons of water and chemical additives at high pressure into the well,” facilitates the quick release of this energy resource (“Fracking Pros and Cons”). In particular, natural gas derived from the decay of dead organisms may be contained in sandstones, limestones, and shale rocks deep into Earth surface (“The Facts on Fracking”). Subterranean rocks often contain an abundance of fossil fuels that may remain untapped without human intervention. Consequently, America ought to reduce its use of hydraulic fracturing.įracking is a relatively nuanced practice. Fracking may be useful, but its consequences greatly outweigh its benefits. In addition, the extraction of natural gas through processes such as hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking) has been incredibly polemical as of late.
Regardless of recent innovations in renewable resources, the majority of Americans are still dependent on fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas. The United States is not a leader in the energy community.
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