By Nico Z.
Have you ever heard of fracking? It's an important national issue that doesn’t receive a lot of media coverage. There has been controversy regarding its environmental impact and public safety. As a result, a couple states have banned fracking. There might be other states to follow suit in the next decade or so.
Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is the practice of expanding the ground by breaking up rock several hundred feet within the Earth. These rocks, mostly shale, consist of many natural resources—like oil, water, and chemicals—that are used for energy. Fracking is done by drilling either vertically or, more commonly, horizontally through the rock layers. As a result of this constant drilling, more and more pathways are created to release more oil.
Fracking certainly has its benefits. It allows drilling companies to acquire resources from remote and otherwise hard-to-reach locations. It can supply energy to poor or rural communities. It decreases the need for foreign oil. As a result, gas prices have lowered substantially. Domestic oil production levels have increased and could potentially give enough energy to the U.S., as well as Canada, to last over 100 years. Fracking also makes it possible to generate electricity at halve the CO2 emissions of coal. It is certainly an effective way to obtain fuel, especially for those in economically depressed areas.
However, there has been a ton of opposition to fracking, mostly because of its perceived danger to the environment. Problems that have arisen due to fracking include earthquakes. However, most of these earthquakes are small and barely felt, ranking from a 1.5 to a 2.2 on the Richter scale. Also, many environmentalists claim that fracking will escalate the need for fossil fuels and contribute to climate change. A report from Congress stated that over 750 chemicals are used in the fracking process, some of which are known to cause cancer. There are also complaints from water companies that fracking is contaminating their groundwater. A debate team for U.S. News & World Report was very polarized over their stances on the process. One half said that fracking is a solution that makes sense and keeps our oil industry secure, while the other half stated that it is a threat to public safety and compared it to “scraping the bottom of the geological barrel.” Another debater reported evidence that there has not been any water contamination, also claiming that it creates more jobs and has a positive impact on our nation’s economy.
In May of 2012, the state of Vermont officially banned fracking. Governor Peter Shumlin stated that fracking fluids have contaminated the water of communities close to the plants. He abolished the process in hopes that it would set an example for other states. No state, except for New York, has followed in Vermont’s footsteps. Governor Andrew Cuomo banned fracking activity in 2014, citing “health risks” as his primary reason. Cuomo has supported fracking in the past, but Howard A. Zucker and other state health officials have raised concerns about water and air pollution. This prompted the New York government to take active measures to regulate the process.
While all states benefit from fracking in many ways, it still continues to be one of the most hotly-debated topics of our time. Ultimately, the status of fracking should continue to be regulated by the states. It is the only easy solution to alleviate the opponent's concerns.
Have you ever heard of fracking? It's an important national issue that doesn’t receive a lot of media coverage. There has been controversy regarding its environmental impact and public safety. As a result, a couple states have banned fracking. There might be other states to follow suit in the next decade or so.
Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is the practice of expanding the ground by breaking up rock several hundred feet within the Earth. These rocks, mostly shale, consist of many natural resources—like oil, water, and chemicals—that are used for energy. Fracking is done by drilling either vertically or, more commonly, horizontally through the rock layers. As a result of this constant drilling, more and more pathways are created to release more oil.
Fracking certainly has its benefits. It allows drilling companies to acquire resources from remote and otherwise hard-to-reach locations. It can supply energy to poor or rural communities. It decreases the need for foreign oil. As a result, gas prices have lowered substantially. Domestic oil production levels have increased and could potentially give enough energy to the U.S., as well as Canada, to last over 100 years. Fracking also makes it possible to generate electricity at halve the CO2 emissions of coal. It is certainly an effective way to obtain fuel, especially for those in economically depressed areas.
However, there has been a ton of opposition to fracking, mostly because of its perceived danger to the environment. Problems that have arisen due to fracking include earthquakes. However, most of these earthquakes are small and barely felt, ranking from a 1.5 to a 2.2 on the Richter scale. Also, many environmentalists claim that fracking will escalate the need for fossil fuels and contribute to climate change. A report from Congress stated that over 750 chemicals are used in the fracking process, some of which are known to cause cancer. There are also complaints from water companies that fracking is contaminating their groundwater. A debate team for U.S. News & World Report was very polarized over their stances on the process. One half said that fracking is a solution that makes sense and keeps our oil industry secure, while the other half stated that it is a threat to public safety and compared it to “scraping the bottom of the geological barrel.” Another debater reported evidence that there has not been any water contamination, also claiming that it creates more jobs and has a positive impact on our nation’s economy.
In May of 2012, the state of Vermont officially banned fracking. Governor Peter Shumlin stated that fracking fluids have contaminated the water of communities close to the plants. He abolished the process in hopes that it would set an example for other states. No state, except for New York, has followed in Vermont’s footsteps. Governor Andrew Cuomo banned fracking activity in 2014, citing “health risks” as his primary reason. Cuomo has supported fracking in the past, but Howard A. Zucker and other state health officials have raised concerns about water and air pollution. This prompted the New York government to take active measures to regulate the process.
While all states benefit from fracking in many ways, it still continues to be one of the most hotly-debated topics of our time. Ultimately, the status of fracking should continue to be regulated by the states. It is the only easy solution to alleviate the opponent's concerns.
