Hydraulic Fracturing Essay

Thousands of feet below the Earths surface, flows vast reservoirs of maven(a) of our planets most sought-after(a) after commodities. In ancient Babylon in that respect are writings of a dark elixir ooze from the lands surface, even then the people understood how precious this material was. Oil, along with Natural gas, are exceptionally rich sources of energy. A gallon of embrocate surpasses the output of five kg of coal, ten kg of wood, and oer fifty times the amount of energy that fifty humans can produce. The richest petroleum can in truth provide maven hundred to a greater extent times the energy, than the resources used to extract it from the ground. Currently the US is submission one of the largest late inunct booms the world has ever stick outn. Unfortunately unlike in ancient Babylon, fossil rock oil today does not simply ooze out of the ground and into our cars. raw(a) advances in science and visualization technology fork up given us a action known as hydr aulic fracturing. as well as known as horizontal drilling, or fracking, these pertly techniques rescue caused a great controversy and sparked a popular debate over the potential risks fracking could ensue on our environment. Despite the negative pictures environmental lobbyists bring painted, hydraulic fracturing is essential for the future of Americas sparing. Its main purpose is to create jobs, a unchangeable market, and advance the future of refreshful energy in the United States.Currently, there has been a focused forethought on the negative environmental impacts fracking could potentially carry with it especially in the water supply. There are hundreds of on-going investigations taking place to ensure the protection of the environment as well the wellness of citizens who currently lie near sites that are using a horizontal drilling method. Most of the negative impacts on the environment, associated with fracking, are poorly understood by the general public. The water supply has been one of the main concerns voiced by lobbyists and various media outlets. Currently the United States government has issued extensive research on the matter through the environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has focused much of its attention on the sustainability of the water supply and soil contact current and former drilling sites. The EPA recently released on their main website a statementconfirming the avocation The EPA currently is working closely with attention partners to identify locations and develop research activities for prospective case studies.In prospective case studies, research at the site begins before hydraulic fracturing occurs, and then continues during and after hydraulic fracturing activities. The studies to date have shown no correlation to contaminated water supplies before or after the exercise of hydraulic fracturing. According to the New York Times, Shale gas is accessed at depths of thousands of feet magical spell drinking wate r is extracted from depths of only hundreds of feet. nowhere in the state have fracking compounds injected at depth been shown to contaminate drinking water. It is important to understand the process at which the gas is extracted to understand where the areas of risk occur. Each well contains multiple layers of steel casing and cementing to in effect protect groundwater. (API 1) This is essential to the protection of our water supply. It is important to understand the access large oil companies have to advanced equipment and the most brilliant minds. Each year billions of dollars are spent on research towards the filiation and containment of ingrained gas as well how to dampen the vitamin C footprint left after drilling. umpteen natural gas operators have chosen to disclose the ingredients of their cocktails to the website FracFocus.org, it is operated by the Groundwater Protection Council. This website includes a public go in that can be examined by drill site or well location, individuals can effortlessly run into the components used to fracture detailed wells. As of early 2012, nearly one hundred companies have already provided information about approximately ten thousand wells and that number increases every day. (API) Companies in our modern society understand the importance of transparency. Access to websites and detailed logs have given the public the ability to desexualise their own judgments on the safety of individual operators. This makes large and independent companies held to higher standards than ever before. While there are greenhouse gases released during the extraction process they are significantly less than our current coal-fired plants. Shale gas emits half the carbon dioxide per unit of energy as does coal, and coal burning also emits metals such as hydrargyrum into the atmosphere that eventually settle corroborate into our soils and waters. (New York Times) This is of great importance to understand especially as one of the oldest and largest coal-fired plant operates inwest Texas.Advocacy groups such as the sierra Club are conflict to shut down these highly destructive plants. Coal and gas-fired power plants emit to a greater extent than 2.3 billion mensurable tons per year of carbon pollution, approximately 40% of total U.S. energy-related carbon pollution.(SierraClub.Org) Because of intense restrictions any emissions from oil and gas wells must stay within agreed state and federal restrictions to guarantee the health and well-being of residents. Natural gas is considered a clean burning fuel because of its comparatively low emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides.(API 1) According to the Environmental Protection Agency, natural gas-fired electricity generates half the carbon dioxide of coal-fired production. As a country we have gained a dependency on energy and as we grow new techniques impart have to be discovered to maintain our consumption rate. Hydraulic Fracturing brings us closer to clean energy while having an instantaneous benefit to our atmosphere and environment by making dangerous coal-fired plants obsolete. The oil and natural gas industry resources are considerably valuable to the United States economy as one of the countrys major employers and buyers of imports.Maintaining its growth through a struggling economy, Americas oil and natural gas operators carry on to deliver well-paying employment, returns to administrations and share growth for millions of Americans. With increased access to U.S. oil and gas resources we can create 1 million new jobs in the next ten days alone.(Green 1) That means if the nation could regulate the practice of fracking, while protecting the environment, it in return would create one million American jobs. That would not only raise our unemployment rate exponentially, but would insert millions of tax dollars back into the economy for improved infrastructure or education. Expansion of oil and natural gas shale asse ts sustained more than 2.1 million jobs in 2012.(API 1) Affordable, native natural gas is vital to refreshing the chemical, manufacturing, and steel industries. These great industries have supported our nation in the past and will continue into the future. The American Chemistry Council determined A 25 percent increase in the supply of ethane (the liquid derived from shale gas) could add over 400,000 jobs across the economy, provide over $4.4 billion annually in federal, state, and local tax revenue, and spur $16.2 billion in capital investment by the chemical industry That added boost tothe job market is a salute long over receivable to our struggling economy.Similarly, the National Association of Manufacturers estimated that high recovery of shale gas and lower natural gas prices will help U.S. manufacturers employ 1,000,000 workers by 2025. This will directly stimulate small townsfolk communities by offering technical job positions with life-long benefits. As well the added in come will help to slowly relieve the burden of debt many families are suffering from. An IHS report, Americas New Energy Future The unorthodox Oil and Gas Revolution and the US Economy, estimates that Mainly due to lower energy prices, average available income per household increased by more than $1,200 in 2012.(IHS 4) This has continuously been omitted from the main stream media. Numerous industry sponsored reports are connecting gushing oil and natural gas production brought on by fracking is lifting the United States economy by dropping energy costs for clients and producers. It has a direct correlation as we produce more on shore energy our costs and high import taxes decrease. This in affect has a trickle-down insurance when oil costs less to extract, ship, and use then household energy bills go down.President Obamas 2012 State of the Union address the President claimed recognition for governing the leading decline in oil imports in current times and for accomplishing the lo west use of need on oil imports in xvi years. He accredited that notable outcome somewhat to improved oil production in northeastern and South Dakota but mainly to the substantial surge in gas production that has directly stem from hydraulic fracturing. There is a clear indication that the risks of fracking are reducing day by day as the benefits continue to increase. The crash of 2008 brought our economy to a grinding halt. There is currently no other market that could stimulate the economy as much as the energy sector. The United States Economy will progress substantially over the next ten years due to the shale boom. Hydraulic fracturing will tame the cost of energy while raising manufacturing. Most importantly it will reassure chemical and technology companies will receive higher endowments giving us an edge over our competitors. Fracking will also impose the cost of transportation by fueling our vehicles with clean natural gas. By performing quality due diligence we can o mit the fears associated with hydraulic fracturing once and for all.Joint cooperation from the US Department of Energy and the worldwide Energy Agency will contribute access to up to date reports on the environment and public safety. Hydraulic fracturing offers us hundreds of years producing clean, dependable, sustainable energy. It will directly affect the following generations while having a positive effect on our current economy. Hydraulic fracturing is the future without it, we would lose 45 percent of domesticated natural gas production and 17 percent of our oil production within 5 years.(API 1) about view hydraulic fracturing in an undesirable context. I am confident in hydraulic fracturing and see it as a window of opportunity for America that will help boost the economy while giving an immediate reduction in greenhouse gases. The benefits and rewards of hydraulic fracturing simply outweighs the risks.Works CitedBrantley, Susan L., and Anna Meyendorff. The Facts on Frackin g. Nytimes.com. NewYork Times, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.Efstathiou, Jim, Jr. Bloomberg. Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 3 Sept. 2013. Web. 03Mar. 2014. .Green, Mark. Energy Tomorrow Home. Energy Tomorrow Home. API.ORG, 28Feb. 2014. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.Hassett, Kevin A., and Aparna Mathur. American Enterprise Institute. AEI. Aei.org, 4Apr. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.Larson, John W., and Richard Fullenbaum. Americas New Energy Future. Rep. no.Vol. 3. IHS.com, Sept. 2013. Web. 4 Mar. 2014..Pierce, Richard J., Jr. Scholarly Commons. Site. Gwu.edu, 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2014..Sierra Club Home Page Explore, bonk and Protect the Planet. Sierra Club HomePage Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet. Sierraclub.org, 2012. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Department of the Enviroment. Progress Report Webinar. Epa.gov, 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. . Zobak, Mark. American Petroleum Institute. American Petroleum Institute.API.ORG, Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.