Gas Fracking
Cindy Hoang-Tran
Professor Ducat
English 101
13 Dec 2012
Gas Fracking Natural gas is extremely useful in our lives. We need natural gases to heat our houses and use microwave ovens, conventional ovens and stovetops. Because the economy currently isn’t well off – and hasn’t been recently – natural gases are now in higher demand for cheaper prices. Oil and gas drilling facilities are now making it possible for natural gases to be sold at extremely cheap prices and accessible amounts through the process of hydraulic fracturing. Before, the United States had to import energy sources, but now, thanks to hydraulic fracturing, the United States can export energy. Modern hydraulic fracturing is a process that involves constructing a drill pad and then drilling vertically downwards for thousands of meters. Then the drilling continues horizontally for thousands of meters. Originally, when hydraulic fracturing began in the mid-twentieth century, it only involved vertical drilling. It was not until the vertical drilling process collaborated with horizontal drilling that the “real fracking boom” occurred, because then, more gas was extracted (Ehrenberg 20).
As the Bloomsberg Businessweek News reports, hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as gas fracking, “injects millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals into wells to crack the shale and free the gas” (Walsh). People would think this is beneficial, because natural gas is being freed and therefore made more accessible to the public, but natural gas’ escaping results in millions of gallons of wastewater. Each gas fracking procedure uses anywhere between two million to eight million gallons of water, which is enough to fill five Olympic swimming pools.
Gas fracking ultimately pollutes our environment, for some of the resulting wastewater is improperly disposed of. Many oil and gas drilling facilities don’t know how they’re going to dispose of this abundant supply of wastewater (McMahon); this may
Professor Ducat
English 101
13 Dec 2012
Gas Fracking Natural gas is extremely useful in our lives. We need natural gases to heat our houses and use microwave ovens, conventional ovens and stovetops. Because the economy currently isn’t well off – and hasn’t been recently – natural gases are now in higher demand for cheaper prices. Oil and gas drilling facilities are now making it possible for natural gases to be sold at extremely cheap prices and accessible amounts through the process of hydraulic fracturing. Before, the United States had to import energy sources, but now, thanks to hydraulic fracturing, the United States can export energy. Modern hydraulic fracturing is a process that involves constructing a drill pad and then drilling vertically downwards for thousands of meters. Then the drilling continues horizontally for thousands of meters. Originally, when hydraulic fracturing began in the mid-twentieth century, it only involved vertical drilling. It was not until the vertical drilling process collaborated with horizontal drilling that the “real fracking boom” occurred, because then, more gas was extracted (Ehrenberg 20).
As the Bloomsberg Businessweek News reports, hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as gas fracking, “injects millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals into wells to crack the shale and free the gas” (Walsh). People would think this is beneficial, because natural gas is being freed and therefore made more accessible to the public, but natural gas’ escaping results in millions of gallons of wastewater. Each gas fracking procedure uses anywhere between two million to eight million gallons of water, which is enough to fill five Olympic swimming pools.
Gas fracking ultimately pollutes our environment, for some of the resulting wastewater is improperly disposed of. Many oil and gas drilling facilities don’t know how they’re going to dispose of this abundant supply of wastewater (McMahon); this may
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