Dangers Of Fracking

Dangers of Fracking People have been trying to get regulations on fracking for years now and some states will just not listen to the dangers to the drinking water that fracking brings. Using articles, political parties, and interest groups, this paper will explain the true dangers that fracking brings and why major regulations need to be put it place. Fracking, because it is a relatively new way to extract natural gas, is hardly regulated in the United States. Some say that there just isn’t enough information to say what if anything is caused by fracking. With the minimal regulations put in place shows how little is known about the possible dangers of fracking. Some states do have regulations put in place, ironically the ones who do not depend
All of these chemicals are toxic to humans and most of them are odor and tasteless, so if the water supply is contaminated by these chemicals around the well residents who live around the well will have no idea that their water is contaminated until it is too late.
An Environmental Impact Statement estimated that “fracking gas drillers can generate up to eleven billion liters of wastewater annually” (Pelley). It is hard to dispose of this wastewater, because it is a “technology challenge to get rid of the chemicals in the water” (Pelley). Sewage plants aren’t designed to handle the types of the materials in the water either, so disposal of the water in a proper manner is almost impossible. Not to mention when these chemicals get released into the air, breathing them in can be lethal.
In 2005 Congress exempted fracking from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act based off an EPA report that stated that it posed a “minimal threat” to drinking water and that no additional research was necessary at that time. But the EPA’s research was done very poorly and didn’t include any monitoring of the wells. The EPA just basically took the word of industry and state officials that fracking did minimal damage to the water supply (Schmidt). Without better research into fracking, needed increased regulations on fracking would be unlikely.
This groups goal is to “simply ban fracking all together” (Americans). The group isn’t interested in regulating fracking, it was to get rid of it and fast. Welcoming anybody on the nation, state or local level to contribute, Americans Against Fracking is serious at preventing fracking to grow. They have “prevented plans to allow fracking to commence on the Delaware river and helped pass over two-hundred and fifty municipal measures against fracking” (Americans). Doing more minor changes than big ones, the Americans Against Fracking interest group is helping spread the word and getting government officials attention that fracking is a serious issue that they need to focus on soon. On the group’s website, they have a fact section where you can check the facts about fracking and why they’re against it as well as a section where you can help them in achieving their goal in banning fracking. They also have contact information of local governors so people can contact them about fracking issues. Their website is set up where anybody can easily contribute and help ban