Advantages and disadvantages of hydraulic fracturing in the USA

Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracking

Fracking or hydraulic fracturing can be described as a process of drilling deep the earth after which a high pressure water mixture can be directed within the rocks for the gas trapped beneath the sand to be released. The rock is injected with sand, chemical and water at high pressure that will make the gas underneath to flow out on top of the well.

As much as fracking has its advantage to a nation, it also have some negative part of it for example in U.S., it has revolutionized the energy industry, but also prompted environmental concerns.

Advantages

Through fracking drilling firms are able to access resources which are difficult to reach such as gas and oil. Fracking has helped to significantly boost the U.S. domestic oil production as well as driven down gas prices. USA has been provided with gas security for about 100 years, this is in addition to an opportunity of generating electricity at a half the CO2 coal emission.

Suggestion from the industry is that fracking of shale gas might have a positive impact to the future energy need of U.S.. Even though the prices of gas may not come down, shale gas is capable of securing energy supplies, (Kevin A. Hassett, Aparna Mathur, 2013). Many reports have associated U.S. economy with the impact of fracking expansion.

For example a study that was done in 2010 by Watson, Considine, and Blumsack of Pennsylvania State University, they applied an input-output model in estimating this natural gas extraction investment within the Marcellus shale region which contributed to about 44,000 jobs to the U.S. economy.

Disadvantages

Fracking uses a significant amount of water that has to be transported to these sites, using huge environmental cost. Carcinogenic chemical that are used in the process of fracking are capable of escaping thereby contaminating groundwater that are found next to the site. Such pollution is caused by bad practice, more than essentially risky technique. Fracking process also result to small tremors beneath the earth. An example is in Blackpool where fracking caused earthquakes of 1.5 and 2.2 magnitudes in 2011.

According to campaigners fracking distracts energy firms as well as governments from investing in sources of energy that are renewable, and thereby encourages continued reliance on fossil fuels. Moreover, though many people are unlikely to feel it and even unlikely for it to cause any damage, fracking is recognized as a potential hazard of the technique.