Local Environment: Fracking

Local Environment: Fracking

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a technique of natural gas and oil extraction. The process entails injecting water, sand, and chemicals into the underneath rock formation at high pressure. The high pressure results in a network of fractures on the subterranean rock that allows natural gas and oil to flow into a collection well, where they are extracted (BBC, 2015). Over the past few years, the use of this method has rapidly increased in the US, and other nations such as the UK have equally initiated fracking operations. Ideally, the primary concerns of this method are on its impacts to the local communities and on the environment. The focus of this essay is to assess the keys issues regarding pros and cons of fracking.

One of the primary reasons for the promotion of fracking is that natural gas is a relatively clean source of energy. According to Last (2016), the natural gas obtained through fracking releases less carbon when compared to other forms of fossil energies. After extraction, the gas is directly added to the national gas grid, where it is transported directly to the end-users – factories, power stations, and homes. In instances where the intended use is heating, natural gas is easily transformed into heat with minimal energy losses. Ideally, this results in reduced wastage in conversion, which produces additional carbon emissions. For this case, if a nation, such as the UK, intends to meet its energy demands through utilizing its energy reserves, then it should opt for natural gas over other fossil energies such as coal (Last, 2016).

Land ownership is an important aspect of the community life. According to Miller (2020), fracking has an advantage over other forms of extractions because its installation does not result in a permanent scar on the land. Moreover, the access to the land required by the processing company and the rigs is marginal. Ideally, this is because once the drilling is completed and the extraction system is instilled and in operation, in most cases it operates independently with minimal, if any, supervision from repair personnel or mechanics. The extraction of natural gas by fracking has resulted in the local economy of states such as North Dakota and Colorado, receiving over $8 billion (Miller, 2020). Contextually, this implies that the local community significantly gains from the fracking operation, while changes in land usability are minimal.

One of the main disadvantages of fracking is its impacts on drinking water. According to Miller (2020), a study published by the National Academy of Sciences argued that fracking intensifies water contamination. Ideally, the casing of the borehole can be corroded by the contaminants resulting from the fracking gas extraction, which in turn would result in water contamination. Good examples of such water contamination have been reported in Pennsylvania and New York, where methane was found to be the main contaminant resulting in flammable drinking water.  Remarkably, in a study by the National Institute of Health, 68 wells were reviewed, and the study showed that the concentration of methane levels was high in, well near fracking sites (Miller, 2020).

Another key issue associated with fracking and the subsequent extraction and use of natural gas is the negative impact on the global effort to address climate change issues. Last (2016) considers a situation where fracking becomes profitable in the UK as a result of technology. Ideally, other nations are likely to emulate such a technology, which results in a cheap source of energy. From an informed perspective, this would result in overreliance of fossil fuels at a time when climate change intervention are advocating for the adoption of renewable energy sources because of their sustainability (Last, 2016).

Fracking issues focus on both pros and cons. The arguments put forward in support of either side are compelling. In this case, it would be appropriate to address the implementation of fracking through considering its impacts on the environment and the local communities.

References

BBC. (2015). Fracking pros and cons explained. Retrieved 22 March 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-lancashire-33230412/fracking-the-pros-and-cons-of-extracting-shale-gas

Last, S. (2016). The Pros and Cons of Fracking in the UK and why you need to know about them. Retrieved 22 March 2020, from https://www.lowimpact.org/pros-cons-fracking-uk-need-know/

Miller, K. (2020). 21 Advantages and Disadvantages of Fracking. Retrieved 22 March 2020, from https://futureofworking.com/7-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-fracking/