Finding Common Ground on Fracking

By Benjamin Delshad

Hydraulic fracturing is a process that taps into the Earth’s supply of oil and natural gasses by drilling down a mile into the surface, after the drill has reached those depths it slowly turns horizontal. This method allows a single location to be drilled into a numerous amount of times. After the well is drilled small perforations are made along the hole at which point they are filled with fracking fluid, which acts as an additive and causes disruptions in the sand and soil that releases natural gases. The reason that Fracking is such a hot topic right now is because it has been recently discovered that America sits on an abundance of shale rock formations. Shale rock formations are the ideal places to do Fracking. We have discovered that we can truly tap into a natural gas resource on our own soil which will not only be beneficial to our own nation’s economy it will also decrease our dependence on the middle east for oil. The conflict is that it is detrimental to the environment and those living in close vicinity of these Fracking sites, which include people from many states. The east coast sits on the Marcellus shale, which is one of the largest shale sites in the United States.

There are many beliefs and views on Fracking, some believe that it is a dangerous process that disrupts the land, has negative and dangerous effects to the people living near these Fracking locations. Fracking companies argue that it is a safe process and that it is the single reason America is going through an energy revolution right now. To develop an opinion on Fracking it is necessary to learn the background information, and to do so I needed to do research on Fracking. Luckily for me there is not a scarcity when it comes to material on Fracking.

There are many groups that are anti-Fracking so I thought it would be interesting to look at the other side of the spectrum. Fracking is a multibillion-dollar industry and can lead to some positive changes for our nation. In a Forbes article written in 2012 by Robert Lenzner he writes that the most valuable thing we may obtain from Fracking will be an independence in the field of energy creation, which will limit our dependence on the Middle East. “I’d maybe say that we have an historic opportunity to rejuvenate the American economy and restore American manufacturing competitiveness because we now have long-term, secure, stable supplies of natural gas,” said Rex Tillerson, CEO and Chairman of Exxon. The economic rejuvenation that is believed to come from the Fracking industry will create thousands of jobs for Americans and cause an economic revolution. Fracking offers an end to the dependence we have with Saudi Arabia as well as an end to the oil crisis, which has had not only negative economic effects on our nation but political as well.

There is a dark side to Fracking that can be seen in Josh Fox’s documentary Gasland, which takes the viewer on a portrayal of the Fracking industry that seems to be covered up. Josh Fox takes the viewer on a firsthand look at the believed negative effects of fracking and pollution it causes to ground water. He goes basically door-to door, visiting families living near the Fracking wells and interviews them to see how they have been effected by the Fracking. In the cases we see extreme water pollution, families that have been forced to stop using their ground water and forced to find other means of water. In some of the extreme cases the water is so polluted that when a lighter is put near the faucet a flame is set off as if the water was gasoline. Fox takes his investigation a little further by interviewing the EPA whistle blower on the dangers of Fracking, Weston Wilson. In the interview Wilson says that the EPA buckled under industry pressure and stopped tests on fracking. We are turning our back to a serious problem or in his words “asleep at the wheel.” The people making these claims about their water contamination should not be the ones having to prove themselves. 

In the process of fracking there is usage of “Fracking Fluids” which consists of almost 600 chemicals. Two examples are Ethyl benzene and Glycol Ethers. Ethyl Benzene, is a known carcinogen that is also a flammable gas that is known to have links to respiratory illness, neurological effects, cancer, and a long list of other effects on the human body. Glycol Ethers are known to have links to testicular toxicity, malfunction of the embryo, bone marrow depression, and hemolysis. 

Our nation seems to be at a standstill if we should continue to Frack or if it is something we stop to keep our water and people safe. For the amount of people there are for banning fracking there are just as many that are all for it, whether there motive be jobs or lower gas prices none the less they are out there. In a recent study done on Fracking reported by Josh Folks in 2014, journalist for the American Thinker. The National Academy of Sciences ruled that Fracking is safe. They made this strong statement in the opening paragraph, “According to a new study published by the National Academy of Sciences, fracking is safe.  End of discussion.” According to the Dangers of Fracking Movement “there have been over 1,000 documented cases of water contamination next to areas of gas drilling as well as cases of sensory, respiratory, and neurological damage due to ingested contaminated water.” The members of the Dangers of Fracking Movement also admit that Fracking does produces up to 300,000 barrels of natural gas a day, but at the price of Environmental and health hazards. 

The main question I find myself asking after hearing and reading all of this information is, can we Hydraulically Frack safety? According to many it can be done safely but the problems we have seen are happening because it has not been safely practiced. I find this to be a good explanation, and if it is true then why we not take would advantage of the economic growth it can offer our nation. According to David Biello, associate editor at Scientific American, Fracking can be done safely and some of the science against fracking is not all true.  

Recently the Obama Administration has put more strict regulations on the Fracking industry. The main focus of these goals is to make Fracking a safer process and to limit the effects it has on water pollution. This in theory sounds great. If you eliminate the environmental hazards and pollution to the water Fracking causes all that is left is the positive Economic growth it will bring to our nation. I think that Obama is making steps in the right direction and with these new regulations we will be on track to get Fracking to better environmental standards. Eliminating the negative environmental effects of Fracking is something that will not be as easy, since Fracking is essentially drilling into the Earth’s shale rock formations it does disrupt the Earth but it may be a necessary sacrifice that will be needed to be made to get the natural gas resources. Obama’s regulations did not put the Anti-Fracking Activists at ease, they are up in arms and the only solution they think will solve Fracking is to ban it all together.

Coming to a middle ground on Fracking is something that is going to need to happen in the coming years so we can make a decision to break away from the dependence we have on the Middle East or ban Fracking and stop the environmental issues it is causing. At the end of the day Fracking does create 300,000 barrels of natural gases a day which is having a positive impact on our nation’s economy but on the other hand it is evident that it is having detrimental effects to the environment and the people. There are three viable options I see as a solution to the Fracking issue. One, we allow it because of economic growth that is associated with the industry. Two, we ban the act of Fracking entirely to keep our environment and population safe from its contamination. Finally, like the Obama administration is currently trying to do, implement more strict regulations on the Fracking industry to make it a completely safe process.