Fracking is a concern that can ruin our environment. Americans need to stand up against fracking and demand safer alternative forms of energy. Fracking is a poorly regulated way to obtain natural gas as we transition from dirty fossil fuels. Also, fracking can cause health problems because of the toxic chemicals that leak into ground water during the fracking process. This can have a big effect on those that rely on wells for drinking water. However, with the detractors that fracking has, there are those that support it. Fracking can help create jobs in the area where it is taking place, and when done responsibly is a safe process. There is also a new alternative called hydrofracking which can help reduce environmental harm. It uses liquefied propane gel instead of water to help release the natural gas (Nearing, Brino 2011).
What exactly is fracking?.
Hydraulic fracturing commonly referred to as fracking, extracts natural gas and oil from rock that lies very deep underneath the ground. During the drilling process water, sand, and a mix of chemicals are blasted into the rock and it releases the natural gas. Without this process very large amounts of natural gas would be left underneath the ground, never to be used. Many companies use this process because it is very cost effective, even though it may not be the safest. .
The Argument Against Fracking.
In my area, fracking is a hot button topic amongst local governments. Luzerne County, my home county, along with 21 others in Pennsylvania have had 243 cases of contamination of drinking wells from fracking (Valentine 14). The chemicals that are found in the wastewater during the fracking process are extremely hazardous to people's health. Some of these chemicals formaldehyde, diesel oil, toluene and xylene, have been known to cause cancer (Thompson 2013).
Also, there has been an application for building a frack water treatment plant right near Harveys Lake, PA ("Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle" 2014).