Fracking and hydraulic fracturing in tar sands development

Fracking and Tar Sands

The objective of this study is to examine the issues of fracking or hydraulic fracturing and tar sands or oil sands.

Fracking is described as "the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside." (Dangers of Fracking, 2015, p. 1)

The Debate

There is a great debate that is ongoing concerning the process of fracking and specifically reported on one side of the debate in Bloomberg View is that "Fracking Water is Shaking Oklahoma" (2015, p. 1) The report states that Oklahoma "had 585 earthquakes with a magnitude 3.0 or greater (big enough for people to easily feel) -- almost three times as many as California had and up from an average of just two a year before 2009. Not coincidentally, that's when oil and gas drillers began injecting wastewater from fracking operations into thousands of underground wells. In the past week alone, Oklahomans have felt the earth move eight times -- which is probably eight times more than nature intended them to. It's enough to get officials, even in a drilling-friendly state, to take action to manage wastewater wells." (Bloomberg View, 2015, p. 1) It has been known for many years by geologists that changes to underground pressure known to occur when water is injected that it causes earthquakes. The following image illustrates the increase in earthquakes in Oklahoma claimed to be due to the process of fracking in that state.

Figure 1

Oklahoma Earthquake Reports

Clearly, something is resulting in an increase in earthquakes in the state of Oklahoma and apparently geologists blame the process of fracking.

It is reported as well by the website 'Food and Water Watch' as follows: "The entire process of fracking -- from drilling a well to transporting waste -- endangers our water and the health of our communities. There is clear evidence of the growing damage caused by fracking." (2015, p. 1) Stated to be problems in areas near fracking sites are the following: (1) individuals living near these sites have acquired serious health issues from drinking water that is contaminated; (2) Individuals can "light their tap on fire due to the amount of methane in their water; (3) there is no requirement for the oil and gas industry to report the chemicals used in the process of fracking although "many are known endocrine disruptors and carcinogens; (4) property values decline in fracking areas and there are growths noted in crime with local tourism and agricultural being negatively impacted; and (5) methane leaks impacts climate change negatively. (Food and Water Watch, 2015, p. 1)

Summary and Conclusion