Fracking in the U.S.
By: Lucas Deming
March 1, 2018
Fracking is a very big issue that has been going on for quite some time now. There are not many solutions, but there are many protesters protesting at fracking sites almost every day, and some are even putting their lives at risk because of it. One of the big reasons why fracking is an issue because it could affect the mental health of infants severely. In Colorado, a recent study found that mothers living near high concentrations of oil and gas wells was 30 percent more likely to give birth to a babies with heart defects. There are reports of asthma, autoimmune diseases, liver failure and cancer from fracking.
Fracking is affecting the environment and water systems by releasing toxic gas which is polluting the environment and chemicals are leaking into the water systems
Fracking is a controversial technology called hydraulic fracturing. Fracking is when the solution is released and can be captured at the surface for our use. The solution is released in rocks like shale and limestone. The fracking solution includes acids, detergents, and poisons that are not regulated by federal law and can seep into drinking water. The chemicals added to the water dissolve minerals, kill bacteria that might enter the well, and insert sand to prop open the fractures, (Susan L. Brantley, New York Times.) The fracking process occurs after a well has been drilled and a steel pipe has been inserted into the well bone.
Fracking is a very long, ongoing issue that began in the 1860’s. Modern-day hydraulic fracturing began in the 1940’s. Approximately one million American wells have been fracked since 1940. Fracking has been used commercially since the 1950s and in recent years has fuelled an energy boom in the U.S. Since the 1990’s, fracking has used greater volumes of the fracking solution injected at higher pressures. The first drilling in six years is expected to be at North Yorkshire village of Kirby Misperton, it would be the first fracking in Britain since 2011.
Shale oil is a new discovery, but it has actually been around for 60 years
U.S. output of shale oil has nearly doubled over the past decade and America trails Saudi Arabia and Russia globally. Now there are 300,000 fracking wells, churning out 4.3 million barrels of oil a day. The United States is in the midst of an unprecedented oil and gas drilling rush. Early drillers sometimes detonated small explosions to increase flow. Europe is currently increasing its reliance on coal while discouraging fracking. U.S. fracking now accounts for more than half of all U.S. oil output, (Matt Egan, CNN.) “Fracking has allowed the United States to increase its oil production faster than at any time in its history,” said an EIS regent report.
Pollutants released during fracking processes could pose a health risk to infants and children, (Nicola Davis, TheGuardian.) These substances have been linked to effects ranging from memory, learning and IQ deficits...
