Tuvia Reback
Lang. Arts
3-26-15
Are the environmental costs of fracking worth the gain in our economic independence?
What is fracking?
Hydraulic fracturing or just plain fracking -- is one way that we can get stockpiles of
natural gas, petroleum and even water. It sounds very complicated (and the process is
impressive), but fracking is fairly simple. Far underground around 7,000 feet/2,133 meters below
the surface, shale rocks hold gases, water or oil in their pores. Hydraulic fracking moves these
resources from the pores of the rocks through pipes to storage tanks on the surface.
The execution of this starts with digging a vertical well deep down and then creating
horizontal pipelines of it. The workers then begin pumping that horizontal pipeline full of a
mixture of sand, water and different chemicals at an extremely high pressure. This causes
fissures in the shale rocks that branch off, releasing gas, oil or water into the cracks created. The
gases and oils are forced into the horizontal pipelines and then flow up through the vertical well
into storage tanks (Kershner).
Brief History of Fracking in America
Despite a history that can be traced back to the 1940s, hydraulic fracturing had not been
utilized on a massive scale until 2003, when energy companies began actively expanding natural
gas exploration with an emphasis in shale formations in Texas, Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Wyoming, Utah and Maryland.
Fracking started to expand faster once there was landmark study conducted by the EPA in
2004. The results showed that underground drinking water supplies near certain fracking sites
were not polluted. After this, hydraulic fracturing was exempted from the Safe Drinking Water
Act in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (eecworld).
How Fracking Promotes Economic Independence
Other than fracking, the U.S. uses a lot of different sources for fuel/energy such as
electric plants, coal reserves, nuclear reactors, crude oil, hydropower, wind power, and solar
power.
In 2013, the United States generated about 4,058 billion kilowatthours of
electricity. About 67% of the electricity generated was from fossil fuel (coal, natural gas, and
petroleum), with 39% attributed from coal.
In 2013, energy sources and percent share of total electricity generation were
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Coal 39%
Natural Gas 27%
Nuclear 19%
Hydropower 7%
Other Renewable 6%
o Biomass 1.48%
o Geothermal 0.41%
o Solar 0.23%
o Wind 4.13%
Petroleum 1%
Other Gases < 1%
(EIA)
It has been said that increased fracking will lead to greater U.S. energy independence; at the
same time, it has been claimed that the environmental costs are too high.
“The rapid expansion of this new form of fracking has brought rampant environmental
and economic problems to rural communities. Tens of billions of gallons of water are used for
fracking each year, and that amount would only grow if proposed drilling moves forward.
Accidents and leaks have polluted rivers, streams and drinking water supplies. Regions peppered
with drilling rigs have high levels of smog as well as other airborne pollutants, including
potential carcinogens. Rural communities face an onslaught of heavy truck traffic—often laden
with dangerous chemicals used in drilling—and declining property values. The "bridge fuel" of
fracking could well be a bridge to nowhere” (Opposing View Points).
“Natural gas is an abundant, affordable, and environmentally responsible energy source
that is helping the U.S. meet the world's ever-growing demand for power. The natural gas
extraction technique of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) helps bring this cleaner-burning energy
supply to the public. Although fracking has generated a lot of recent media attention and public
concern about environmental issues, it is a practice that has been safely used since the 1940s.
ExxonMobil takes extensive measures to minimize the environmental impacts of fracking,
supports the public disclosure of fracking chemicals and takes extra precautions to protect water
supplies near its operations. Natural gas extraction creates jobs and is good for the country's
energy security, so when fracking is done responsibly, everyone wins” (SPL Opposing View
Points).
“What about the environment? According to the EPA, natural gas electricity generation
produces half the carbon dioxide of coal, less than a third of the nitrogen oxides and 1 percent of
the sulfur oxides. Best practices in natural gas drilling provide multiple lines of protection for
groundwater resources. There have been problems, but they have been rare and most
importantly, they are avoidable. Just like any other industrial activity, there are risks, but good
engineering, in combination with sensible and effective regulation, reduces those risks to
maximize societal benefit. Water usage, often decried as irresponsible, is small compared to
other domestic water consumers. Marcellus Shale gas development accounts for one onehundredth of the domestic water usage rate in Pennsylvania, and one fifth of what is used in the
state solely to care for livestock.
We are a big country with big energy needs. Natural gas is an energy solution that works
today, at utility scale with current technology. Shale gas is the most promising natural resource
find in decades. We should utilize it” (Faulkner).
Jewish Opinions
In Judaism there are also opposing views on this subject. Tikkun Olam is a Jewish belief
that we must repair the world. If fracking truly is hurting the environment, then it would directly
conflict with this belief. There is also a place in the Torah that people interpret as G-d giving us
dominance over the earth and the animals even though it is mostly mentioning animals as it says
in Bereshiet: ”And God blessed them and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl
of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.'” This seems to say that
humans can use the Earth to their advantage. Does this include actions that can potentially
destroy the environment?
Environmental Costs
Some potential hazards of fracking are:
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Contamination of groundwater
Methane pollution
Air pollution impacts
Exposure to toxic chemicals
Waste disposal
Large volume water use in water-deficient regions
Fracking-induced earthquakes
Workplace safety hazards
Effects on Workers
There are large amount of silica sand used during hydraulic fracturing. Silica is one of the
most common construction site materials as it makes up stone and concrete. In the fracking
process, the sand is delivered from a truck and then loaded into sand movers. The sand mover
conveyer belts move it to a blender hopper for it to be blended with other fracking fluids prior to
it all being injected into the drilling hole. Transporting, moving, and refilling silica sand into and
through trucks, sand movers and blender hoppers can release dusts containing silica into the air.
If workers are exposed to this dust, they can develop Silicosis. This is a disease caused by the
prolonged breathing of silica dust. Silica dust exposure has also been linked to lung cancer
(OSHA).
Perceptions: Media examples
One of the first time I heard of fracking, it was on The Simpsons - and it seemed like the
writers definitely wanted to express their opinion. They criticized fracking the entire episode.
The two main things that The Simpsons accused fracking of were earthquakes and flammable tap
water. They were both linked to fracking in the 2010 documentary Gasland by filmmaker Josh
Fox.
After investigating the particular incident featured in the film in which a Colorado
resident ignites his tap water with a small flame, scientists at the Colorado Oil & Gas
Conservation Commission concluded: “There are no indications of any oil- and gas-related
impacts to your water well … Methane gas is common in water wells in Colorado. It occurs
naturally… as a gas in coal or black shale seams [and] as a byproduct of the decay of organic
matter.” Even after this diagnosis, people still blame fracking as the cause (Forbes).
Conclusion
In conclusion, fracking can greatly help the U.S become more economically independent;
however, there are obviously a lot of safety hazards that have been discovered as consequences
of fracking. The issue is, there aren’t any renewable energy sources that can give the U.S the
same amount of energy/power and especially for such a cheap price. This is such a difficult topic
that I don’t have one strict opinion on whether fracking is truly the answer. I have faith that
technology will advance within the next 20 years enough that the U.S. will make a larger switch
to clean energy. But until then, I think we must utilize what we have in order to compete in the
world’s ongoing energy race.
Works Cited
"A Brief History of Hydraulic Fracturing." A Brief History of Hydraulic
Fracturing. Eecworld.com, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
Economides, Michael. "Don't Be Swayed By Anti-Fracking Propaganda." Forbes.
Forbes Magazine, 7 Mar. 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2015
Faulkner, Chris. "Shale Reserves Mean Security for U.S. and Its Oil and Gas
Industry." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 28 Nov. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Granberg, Al. How Fracking Works. Digital image.
Http://www.propublica.org/special/hydraulic-fracturing-national. Pro Publica, n.d. Web.
Hoffman, Joe. "Potential Health and Environmental Effects of Hydrofracking in
the Williston Basin, Montana." Case Studies. Carleton.edu, 26 June 2014. Web. 18 Mar.
2015.
"Hydraulic Fracturing Can Be Done Responsibly." Fracking. Ed. Tamara
Thompson. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. " 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
"Hydraulic Fracturing Should Be Banned." Fracking. Ed. Tamara Thompson.
Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013." Vol. iv. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web.
24 Mar. 2015.
Kershner, Kate. "How Hydraulic Fracking Works." HowStuffWorks.
HowStuffWorks.com, 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
"What Is U.S. Electricity Generation by Energy Source?" U.S. Energy
Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis. U.S. EIA, 13
June 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"Worker Exposure to Silica during Hydraulic Fracturing." HAZARD ALERT.
Osha.gov, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.