The Pros And Cons Of Fracking

Thesis: There is major debate both for and against using the fracking method to extract natural gas from the ground, but I propose that the federal government establish, monitor, and regulate environmental and health risks, and then create a minimum standard which the states are required to follow.
Background: In the 1940’s the Halliburton Corporation developed a process to revitalize well production and prolong the life of wells nearing the end of their production cycle. The fracturing process, called “fracking”, pumps a mixture of water and sand, along with some chemical additives, at high pressures to create additional fractures in the sedimentary rock. This process releases hydrocarbons into the wellbore where it gathers in small pockets
They are concerned that millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater are produced from fracking methods and that there are currently no facilities operating to remove these pollutants. When separated by a mile or more from groundwater sources and the earth’s surface, the ancient marine waters along with naturally existing toxic compounds are not an issue, but “Fracking disturbs, distributes, and carries upward with the fracked gas ‘produced waters’ containing radioactive materials, heavy metals, hydrocarbons such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and toluene [sic.]), bromide, highly concentrated salts, and many other organic and inorganic compounds that, when exposed to our environment, are dangerous health hazards—many are known as carcinogens and toxic to biological life” (Carluccio “Destroying Our Groundwater” Para. 1). Which brings up the question of why can’t they use less toxic chemicals in the fracking process? Tracy Carluccio, the Deputy Director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, continues by stating, “even if companies were to switch to ‘green’, ‘non-toxic’ fracking fluids, drilling and fracking in these deep formations will always deliver potentially deadly chemical hazards, even in a perfectly regulated world” (Carluccio “Destroying Our Groundwater” Para. 1). The cement and steel casings used in combination with the methods for sealing post-production gas wells do not confine the methane along with other dangerous gases and contaminated fluids that are pressurized within the aquifer. Challengers feel any economic benefits from using the fracking process would be short-lived and would be ignoring reports of risks to public health, air quality, weakening of ground stability, contamination of groundwater, permanently altering the local ecology, and the use of vast amounts of water