The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

The topic in question is hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking. Said practice is vital to study because at the moment there are many questions about its potential negative effect on our environment, yet oil companies are pushing for its complete legality. The four articles used include Fracking practices in offshore California waters by oil companies probed by regulators (Jason Dearen and Alicia Chang, Los Angeles Daily News), Fracking war: Sierra Club says bill not good enough (Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times), As Obama Visits Upstate New York, the Fracking Debate Takes Center Stage (Bryan Walsh, Time Magazine), and Fracking is Eating Away at Our National Parks (Mary Catherine O’Connor, Outside Magazine). The authors all
Tupper Hull, spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association, was also quoted. The two had very different opinions on fracking’s overall safety. The article from the Los Angeles Times uses information provided by Kathryn Phillips, the California director for the Sierra Club, along with information from liberal activist groups Credo and MoveOn, and finally from Paul Deiro, lobbiest from the Western States Petroleum Association. Obviously, Deiro’s opinion on fracking’s safety was much more favorable for the oil companies than from any of the other sources, who all oppose the practice. The Time Magazine article quoted Walter Hang, the head of an organization called Toxic Targeting, along with President Obama, and New York State Governor Andrew Cumo. Finally, the Outside Magazine article quoted James Nations, leader of the NPCA 's Center for Park Research, a U.S. Geological Survey, and Clay Jenkinson, a Theodore Roosevelt scholar who appears in a short film that goes along with the
This comes as no surprise because the issues brought up in all three could have negative impacts on the lives of the authors of the articles. In my opinion, fracking should be totally illegal until more conclusive studies have been performed, and prove said practice does not have a detrimental effect on our environment, specifically groundwater and ocean water. To improve the articles there should be more diagrams and graphs to better display the information in a more straightforward manor. The only way for the public to have a better understanding of these issues is if popular television media focuses on important environmental debates such as fracking, instead of stories that will have little to no lasting impact. Further, the environmental groups need to advertise as much as they can, whether it be on television or the