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Fracking Pros And Cons Essay

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Fracking Pros And Cons Essay
Fracking is a fairly new method of extracting natural gas. Fracking can be defined as a method to remove natural gas from the ground. Another way to describe fracking also known as hydraulic fracturing is the process of creating fissures in underground formations to allow natural gas to flow (Natural Gas Extraction – Hydraulic Fracturing | US EPA). This allows the gasses to leak through the cracks to be effectively captured and stored for use. The process for fracking is as follows: First they begin by drilling approximately 6,000 feet into the ground, penetrating through several geological layers. Once the desired depth is made, the drilling turns ninety degrees and continues horizontally several thousand feet into shale that contains the …show more content…
For others, fracking has become an environmental nightmare. The dream and nightmare of Americans are the new drilling technology, called hydraulic fracking. In the United States, fracking has become a fiercely debated issue, as the industry emphasizes the benefits the practice holds and health and environmental groups question its safety. While fracking has created jobs and provided record-low natural gas prices, it comes with another kind of cost the risks the environment and health. There are many pros and cons to fracking. The pros to fracking allow for potential energy independence. A large amount of natural gas has been obtained through fracking in recent years that the United States carbon production are declining. The United States Energy Information Administration estimates that just less than half of the decline in production is owed to the alternative of shale gas for electrical energy production instead of coal burning (U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)). Fracking wells and shale gas are currently less expensive than coal in the United States. President Obama has commended the United States use of natural gas in his speech on climate change attributing it with producing cleaner energy. Many have

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