In today's global economy, energy is one of the most crucial and sought-after commodities. Who supplies it and how much they supply determines how much influence they have over other countries as well as the global economy. This is why hydraulic fracturing is currently such an important and controversial topic in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as "fracking" or hydrofracturing, is the process of using pressurized liquids to fracture rocks and release hydrocarbons such as shale gas, which burns more efficiently than coal. This booming process of energy production provides a much-needed economic boost, creating jobs and providing gas energy for Americans. According to (Fracking Explained: opportunity or Danger) "The efficiently burning shale gas reduces carbon emission from electricity production plants, reducing carbon footprints on the environment. However, the process of hydraulic fracturing uses millions of gallons of pressurized liquid, which contains toxic chemicals, and some of this water is left over undealt". The air near fracking sites is often also polluted and unsafe for nearby community residents. Injecting millions of gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals into the rock thousands of feet deep can cause earthquakes, causing a safety hazard for all nearby areas. Hydraulic Fracturing makes rare natural gases easily attainable, boosting the economy and reducing carbon emissions. However, the negative side effects, such as contaminated water and air, make hydraulic fracturing a process that may not be worth the benefits.
One benefit of hydrofracking is that it creates jobs in the current economic slump that America is in. The increase of hydraulic fracturing in the United States directly benefits the citizens, with the number of employees in the gas production industry "reaching 198, 400 by December 2013- over a 67 percent increase since 2003"(Hassett and Mathur), which is an enormous amount when so many American citizens need jobs to support themselves and their families. This is even more important because so many Americans lost their jobs as oil and gas production, "with the number of employees in oil and gas with the number of employees in oil and gas extraction shrinking by over 50 percent to 118, 400 in 2003" (Hassett and Mathur). Americans were losing jobs in gas production starting from the early twenty-first century due to the fact that "easily tapped oil reserves grew scarcer and domestic oil production declined", until improvements in fracking for shale gas created more jobs(Hassett and Mathur). The jobs fracking creates is much needed to boost the sagging American economy, but even more important to the economy is the gas produced.
Natural gases are the most important source of energy in the modern world of technology and electricity production, which makes the skyrocketing gas production in the U. S. due to hydraulic fracturing incredibly valuable in terms of global trade and economy....
