Gathering the Facts: Anti-Fracking
Name: ____________________________
Per:____
Station 1: Health Risks
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People who live near fracking land are more likely to be hospitalized for which conditions?
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A study published in the PLOS ONE journal found what about hospitalization rates in Pennsylvania
between 2007 and 2011? __________________________________________________________________
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 Why do they suspect this has happened? __________________________________________________
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 Additionally the study showed that people living in these areas has a ______% increase in
hospitalizations for heart conditions compared to areas without drilling.
Due to the information being so new, researches can’t 100% prove that these conditions are completely
linked to drilling, but they do think that the findings suggest that when we weigh the economic benefits of
fracturing we should also consider the _______________________________ it also has on people.
 On the other hand, proponents (supporter) of the energy industry believe that fracturing can be done
safely and that the fears of _____________________________________________________________.
Station 2: Toxic Water
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Clean water is mixed with what 2 other things to make fracking fluid? ______________________________
Companies can choose from how many different chemicals to create fracking fluid? ___________________
 Of these chemicals, how many are chosen to be used? _________________________
 However, one well can be fracked multiple times, and there are generally thousands of wells fracked at
any given time; so what happens to the number of chemicals ultimately used?
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Fracking companies say it is misleading to suggest 600+ chemicals are used, but when it comes to chemicals
and the impact on the environment, what matters? ______________________________________________
For each frack _________________ tons of chemicals may be used.
 How many pounds = 1 ton? _________________
Why doesn’t the fracking companies have to tell us exactly which chemicals they use? _________________
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 Which chemicals have scientists found in the waste water they tested and why is that significant to us?
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 Look at the chart on the right, list 3 other chemicals that can be used in fracking fluid along with their
common application (what else do we find these things in?) ___________________________________
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Some land owners who have leased their land to the fracking companies have experienced what happen to
their fresh water wells that they used for their daily water needs? __________________________________
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EPA Website:
Stage 1: What is 1 potential impact of water acquisition for fracking on our water resources?
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Stage 2: What is 1 potential impact that mixing the chemicals with the water for fracking can have on our
drinking water resources? ____________________________________________________________________
Stage 3: What is 1 potential impact on our drinking water of injecting the fracking fluid into the well?
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Stage 4: What is 1 potential impact on our drinking water of Hydraulic Fracturing wastewater?
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Stage 5: What is 1 potential impact on our drinking water that the waste water treatment can have?
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Station 3: Environmental Impacts
Increased Air Pollution from Trucks
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The typical components of exhaust are: _______________________________________________________
Of these, which is the most dangerous and why? _______________________________________________
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Per well, per frack, how much water is estimated to be used? _____________________________________
 How many tanker trucks would be required to drive in to the fracking location to bring this much fresh
water? _______________________________________.
 How many tanker trucks would be needed to remove the waste water once the fracking is completed?
___________________________________________.
How much does a Semi (18-wheeler) weigh? ______________________________
 How could this impact the infrastructure (roads, etc.) in these areas? ____________________________
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Do some math… if one well uses an average of 4 million gallons of water, and the article says that per pad
there can be 20 wells, how much water would be needed to frack all of the wells on 1 pad?
_____________________________________
 The article then mentions that on one plot of land there can be dozens of pads. How much water would
be required to be brought in to frack 2 dozen (24 pads)? ______________________________________
Increased Air Pollution from Methane Leaks
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Methane is a powerful _____________________________ gas
Using natural gas is said to be a clean source of energy because it produces less harmful emissions when
burned than some of the other fossil fuels. However, leaking methane gas from the well essentially does
what? ________________________________________________________________________________
Besides leaking from the well, which 2 other ways can methane from a fracking job get into our
atmosphere? ___________________________________________________________________________
Ground level ozone can be produced near fracking wells when what 2 things happen? _________________
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Increased Water Consumption
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Looking at the 2 maps, what trends do you see between the places where hydraulic fracturing occur and
drought conditions? Explain. _______________________________________________________________
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Station 4: Nonrenewable Resource
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What is a renewable resource? ______________________________________________________________
What are 2 examples of renewable resources?__________________________________________________
What are 2 examples of nonrenewable resources? ______________________________________________
There is concern that falling natural gas prices will encourage what?
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 What impact will this likely have on the global climate? ___________________________________
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Explain what it means when it is said that natural gas is seen as a “bridge”: __________________________
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Article:
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Why have some world leaders said that it would be too hard to reduce emissions (Hint: why would they
need to continue to use fossil fuels?)
 However, that argument is losing its salience (standing) because:
$___________billion dollars was invested in wind, solar and other renewables in 2015; more than ½ of that
money came from which 3 countries? ______________________
_________________________________________
Comparing the amount of energy generated from renewables in 2007 to the amount in 2015, the amount of
energy that we are using from renewable resources has ____________________.
What is the prediction for the year 2020 and India’s solar power? __________________________________
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These are all hopeful signs. They suggest that what might happen quicker than originally believed?
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During the December (2015) Global Climate summit, it was agreed upon that countries would work together
to keep the warming (of the earth) below the threshold beyond which all the world would be locked into
devastating consequences. What negative impacts does the article mention that this global warming will
have? _________________________________________________________________________________
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How are batteries an obstacle to using more clean energy right now? _______________________________
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