http://nofracking.com/ - website for those who are interested in NO Fracking.
Most people know of one of the most talked about problems our planet faces, which considered global warming. The many causes and effects of the matter like melting ice caps, warmer than usual temperatures, shorter winters, and many other things are all a part of the controversy of global warming. This happens because of the amount of CO2 being released from the use of gasoline. There have been many efforts over the years to be able to find alternative fuels for this problem.
Natural Gas
One alternative fuel is Natural Gas. On paper this is an amazing resource that can be an alternative to gasoline, but the way it is extracted is less than perfect. The way that natural gas is extracted is by the process of Hydraulic Fracturing. “Fracking” for short. Now the process of fracking is used to pull out the natural gas that is stored underground in shale deposits. First the hole must be drilled several miles into the earth, and then the actual process of fracking may begin. Hydraulic fracturing is the use of fluid and material to create or restore small fractures in a formation in order to stimulate production from new and existing oil and gas wells. Basically fracking is done by pumping “Liquid” into the earth to extract the natural gas, which is stuck miles below the earth’s surface.
While the outcome of the natural gas is a
positive thing that can provide a cleaner future, with less dependency on
foreign oil and plenty of resources with the continent of America…
Fracking is essentially a double-edged sword,
with one side being sharper than the other.
Cleaner Earth?
Fracking companies say that they are helping
to clean the earth and its climate and are providing a healthier future, while
supplying jobs for the working class of America. Although natural gas will
improve the air quality due to the fact that it burns cleaner than gasoline,
the process of fracking actually produces more CO2 emissions than the burning
of gasoline.
There was a study done by the Environmental
Protection Agency that found out during the drilling process, cancer-causing
chemicals such as benzene and methane could be released during a burst of gas
released during the first few days after a well is first tapped.
Air Quality
Unfortunately the air quality from fracking
is the least of our worries. Fracking uses a water-based fluid to get the
natural gas out. It is made up of 90% water, 9% sand, and hundreds of
chemicals, which are injected into the ground, to complete the process of
natural gas removal. These hundreds of chemicals are known as being safely
contained, the hole dug for extraction but, people are saying otherwise each
and everyday. They take the hole and put layers of steel over it with concrete
to ensure that nothing seeps out.
Gasland
The documentary Gasland, by Josh Fox is a
glimpse into the ugly larger side of fracking.
He goes around to all of the areas that are hotbeds for fracking wells.
Some fracking wells are actually in people’s back yards or front yards, this is
where people in town and themselves get fresh water for living. A common factor
seemed to be the seals in the pipes for fracking are not air- tight, and
chemicals do escape out of the pipes themselves. The chemicals would leak out
of the pipes and end up into the grounds watershed. Josh Fox, the documenter in
the documentary, went around to different peoples properties to get their view
on the fracking that is going on around them. He took samples of all of their
water to send to a lab to see how many chemicals where infused in their water. He
didn’t even have to send the water in to tell something was wrong, the water
came out discolored, smelling bad, and even lighting on fire.
The reason for the water lighting on fire was
partially because of the methane that escaped out of the fracking fluid.
Obviously this water is not safe to drink, especially if you can light it on
fire.
http://www.dangersoffracking.com/
This is an AMAZING interactive website on how Fracking happens from start to end.
