Hydrofracking Truth
“Hyrdrofracking is a dangerous method to extract natural gas; however, the opposite has been proven (Shader, Niel).” Hydrofracking is a process in which a mixture of water, sand and other everyday additives are combined with the use of water pressure and sent into the ground, thus putting a break through the rocks letting out the natural gas and oil which we then will collect and use (“Environmentalists and Hydrofracking Safety.”), but what is the truth about Hydrofracking? Is it as dangerous as people perceive it to be? It is said that the shale boom will revive economically suffering parts of the Country and in turn cause an economic boost creating over 72,000 jobs (“The Facts About Fracking”). Hydrofracking is a method that has been used since the 1940’s; this process has been used to produce over 35,000 wells and is a process that people should be more familiar with (“Environmentalists and Hydrofracking Safety.
“). Hydrofracking will allow the natural gas and oils to escape making it possible for them to be used. Natural gas is a clean substance, which is part of the argument as to if this is safe or isn’t it (“The Truth about Gasland “). There is an abundance of this Natural gas around waiting for its use. In fact, there are records stating that The Marcellus Shale, located in Central New York, stretching as far as Tennessee, contain up to 168-516 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, in 2,000 Shale gas was 1% of America’s gas supply, today its 25%. Yet there are many issues pertaining to hydrofracking, one of the biggest problem occurring is people are concerned that their drinking water will be contaminated and they will no longer have clean water available to them.
Their thought is that this process uses harmful chemicals, which after put into the ground, return to the surface and the chemicals are present to become very harmful, but the truth is that these companies drill a great distance away from existing groundwater wells and at a depth below where usable groundwater would be located. Hyrdrofracking for natural gases and oil is done at thousands of feet below the ground, where drinking water from wells is only drilled at hundreds of feet, separating the two is solid rock. In fact EPA administrator Lisa Jack had told congress that there has been no proof that fracking is affected any drinking water. State should be allowed to choose, after hearing the facts, where they want to dill (Santorum). An another note, there exists a big issue involving the questionable clean water source, which was pointed at Duke University, which they had claimed that this process of hydrofracking is affecting their drinking water by contaminating it with methane gas.
What they don’t know is that Methane gas occurs naturally and by itself is not harmful in drinking water. This was also an issue for Mike Markham in 2008 that had sent a complaint in, taken by John Axelson, and stated that, “Complainant alleges impact to domestic water well from nearby oil and gas operations.” The result was, “Dissovled methane well water appears to be biogenic in origin, meaning it’s naturally occurring there, and tests were positive for iron related bacteria and sulfate reducing bacteria. There are no indications of oil and gas related impacts to water well (COGIS).” This was also an issue for Renee McClure in 2009, with a complaint taken by Bob Chesson indicating that she would like to have her water well sampled because she can ignite gas from her well. The resolution “COGCC sampled the McCure water well on March 25, 2009, 5 days after the complaint, and the sample results water and gas showed a naturally occurring methane gas in her well and no impact from O & G operations (COGIS).
” If people are complaining about methane gas which is naturally occurring, and you want to ban hydrofracking because you think it’s harmful, then why not ban cosmetics, automobile antifreeze, cooking products and so on? These products you use every day contain the same chemicals used in drilling fluids (Glendinning, Tom). Another issue towards fracking is the claim that the chemicals cause cancer. For example, Mayor Calvin Tillman caused a ruckus this year by announcing he was quitting and moving his sons away from said “toxic gases” such as cancer causing benzene used in this process, from the towns 60 gas wells. State Health Officials say that after investigating, the toxin levels were the same as the rest of the U.S population.
Residents with higher levels of benzene in their blood were all smokers and cigarette smoke contains benzene. This case also brings up another issue in which people are concerned with what chemicals are actually being used during this process and exactly how harmful; they could be (“The Facts About Fracking”). The documentary Gasland, directed by Josh Fox, was made out to be the truth when it all actuality, he admitted he lied and it was proven that he didn’t give the information that he should have and that some parts during this documentary he flat out made things up (Nolte, John). This pertains to the chemicals that are put into the mixture because in this documentary Josh stated, Hydrofracking using over 596 harmful chemicals, when the truth is that 99 percent of the mixture is simply water and sand. There are also 12 additives, not 596, that were revealed by the law, when people argue that companies are trying to keep these extra chemicals a secret.
These additives include things such as guar gum, that is found in ice cream (“Debunking Gasland.”), Benign, such as citric acid, which is found in soda(“The Facts About Fracking”), a chemical to kill bacteria similar to chlorine, friction reducer similar to that of canola oil and other items that people are around on a daily basis (Shader, Niel). Hydrofracking is an issue mainly concerning people’s idea of having a safe environment. Rick Perry, during an interview made a valid argument in protecting the idea that this method is safe and does not harm our environment. Rick stated to an audience member that, “We can have this conversation, but you cannot show me one place, not one where there is proven pollution by Hydraulic Fracturing,” A man stood up and told him that statement was not true, then Perry came back with another valid argument which was, “Bring me the paper, bring me the paper, show me the paper,” Perry said.
“I’m offended that the American Public would be hoodwinked by stories that do not scientifically hold up. If that was true, it would be on the front page of every newspaper. It would be on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News. Everybody would be running that story.” He also added, “There is no evidence of danger, only scare tactics.
” There was also a comment on this interview stating that someone’s water smells like sulfur and is undrinkable, which brings us back to the point about naturally occurring methane. They had complaints on lighting water on fire due to hydrofracking oil. Proof of it being a result of Methane gas and they have been able to light water on fire since before hydrofracking was being used, which is over 60 years ago (“Rick Perry Disputes Idea That Hydrofracking Pollutes Groundwater”). This process of hyrdrofracking as introduced in my introduction will benefit the economy so greatly that we could supply jobs because right now unemployment is at its lowest ever and also we would no longer need to be dependent on the Middle East for our oil supply and in turn it would result in less terrorism because we wouldn’t be involved with them as much, we can save money and be a more independent country (“The Facts About Fracking”). Right now America’s economy is broken (“Environmentalists and Hydrofracking Safety”), there is also something called a cap and trade tax that could possibly come into effect, meaning that people would have to pay a tax on every mile you drive, since it is believed that driving pollutes so much, this money is supposed to go to cleaning up the environment, but in all reality it’s not going to.
This also goes back to the idea that our driving cars do not pollute as much as we think it does and we should be worried about other countries such as China, with their many factories, which we do not have in the United States. There is a belief that the government is just trying to collect more money. The United States right now is so concerned with the idea of Hyrdrofracking and the idea that it pollutes the earth, without knowing the proven facts that they forget about other countries around the world and they don’t realize that the United States produces the least pollutions out of the many countries in the world such as, said in argument above, China. For another example, A few years ago the pollution in China was so intensely bad that citizens entering China needed to wear masks because the air was barely breathable and very toxic. So we should be worrying about the bigger issues not the supposed threats concerning Hydrofracking, when really there aren’t any. Hyrdrofracking is proven to be a safe way to boost the economy, supplying jobs and the United Stated with natural gas and oil in needs to break away from the Middle East and be able to lower gas prices in America.
This is proven in many different ways to be a safe process. Anything that was negatively said about hydrofracking is proven to be a myth and in the words of Rick Perry, “if it were proven that it was dangerous; it would be on every news channel and every newspaper.” Many people have complained about several issue they though was a result from hydrfracking, including, polluting drinking water, harmful chemicals used in the mixture, methane gas igniting water and harming the environment, but in fact, it was all proven to be entirely safe and economy friendly with regulation that with protect the environment. The United States should also not be blamed for all the pollution of the world and directly taxed for said, pollution with vehicles when the United States contributes the least pollution. Everyone should learn the actual facts about Hydrofracking and the helpful things it can do and lead us to accomplish, taking care of many other issues in the process and then they will realize this will change the United States for the better.
