Fracking dangers not worth boosting natural gas supply
Hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, is a two-sided sword. Supplies of shale gas, the world's amount of obtainable natural gas, have increased by 40 percent, but at what cost? While burning natural gas is significantly cleaner (emits less CO2) than other non-renewable resources, such as coal and oil, the process of obtaining shale gas is detrimental to the environment. Additionally, it has been cited to be a potential threat to human health.
Shale gas is natural gas that is trapped in sedimentary shale rocks while fracking is the process of launching a large amount of water mixed with sand and chemicals at high pressure into the shale rock in order to release the gas. It has been so successful in obtaining natural gas that, in a little over 10 years, natural gas went from being rarely used to producing about 20 percent of the United State's energy supply. In fact, it is even estimated to cover half of the country's energy within the next two decades. However, fracking comes with a risk. There have been several cases where the shale well castings were defective and fracking contaminated the nearby soil and water. Additionally, fracking requires a large amount of water mixed with chemicals, making it difficult to recycle or dispose.
So why do we use fracking? Because it's cheaper and accounts for about 50 percent of locally produced natural gas and 33 percent of local petroleum.
Getting rid of fracking would significantly cut our supply of gas, thus sending the price of natural gas way up and causing mass unemployment. Additionally, it could cause natural gas to replace coal and oil as the major energy source in factories. Not only would natural gas emit less CO2 than coal and oil, but also there is a lot more natural gas on the Earth than other fossil fuels. Some estimates claim that while continued use of coal and oil would only last for the next 30-40 years, the natural gas deposits would supply us for more than 200 years.
Proponents of fracking assert that fracking will give America independence from international oil. During the 1973 embargo by the Arab states against the United States, Americans learned the disastrous implications of being dependent on a hostile country for energy. If fracking continues and the United States becomes a net producer of natural gas, the ability to hurt us by withholding oil disappears.
While fracking has several advantages, it also has some substantial drawbacks. Although fracking actually produces less wastewater than previous ways to recover natural gas, the wastewater from fracking contains heavy metals and salts that are much harder to clean. In fact, just getting rid of the salts requires extensive distillation. The problem is that there are exceptions in the Safe Drinking Water Act for oil and gas firms, something many environmental groups are trying to fight. If the government is willing to let the nonrenewable resource companies bypass the laws, why can't it spend more money to subsidize the renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy?
In addition to the water pollution, fracking also generates a large amount of air pollution, including methane, a greenhouse gas over 20 times as potent as CO2, hydrogen sulfide, and volatile organic compounds. These gasses have been found to cause reduced visibility, climate change, and destruction of vegetation. Not only are they harmful to the environment, but they are also extremely toxic to humans. They have been linked to cancer, neurological damage, and premature death.
Natural gas might be a cleaner fossil fuel, but the process in obtaining it is extremely dirty. It has been made clear that fracking has some amazing benefits, but it is also true that its costs are just as substantial. Perhaps the best answer is to focus on making renewable energy a more viable source of energy so that we don't have to choose between energy independence and well-being. While natural gas might be a better alternative to what we are currently using, there is no reason to stop until we obtain a safe and environmental way to fuel our world.
Andrew Austin
Johns Hopkins University '15
MORRIS PLAINS
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