Hydraulic Fracking Effects

902 Words4 Pages
Environmental Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing and the Mining of Silica Sand Hydraulic fracturing is hardly a new method of obtaining natural gas from deep beneath the earth’s surface. Since 1860, oil conglomerates have been injecting oil wells with chemicals from nitroglycerin to napalm in order to extract a precious and needed commodity. Not until recently have those with an interest in environmental issues been asking the questions that have gone unasked. Injecting a shale formation 6000 feet below the surface with a somewhat hazardous mix of chemicals, water and sand can seem bizarre and, to the environmentally conscientious, frightening. Hydraulic fracturing is currently being conducted in various locations on the East Coast and the Midwest. New Jersey is directly on a large shale formation known as the Marcellus Shale however the state has…show more content…
Some of the environmental issues related to hydraulic fracturing must be investigated and regulations must be put in place. As a nation dependent on energy we must regulate and consider all consequences before allowing the depletion of yet another natural and non-renewable resource. Environmentalists claim an array of issues related to fracking. Polluted groundwater and aquifers, micro seismic events, disposal of waste water and the mining of the silica sand which is used in the process are all by-products of a loosely regulated practice. Studies have been done, from measuring the effects on drinking water to monitoring seismic events related to fracking. While the validity and interpretation of these studies can be brought under scrutiny depending on the viewpoint of the respective group, the mining of the required silica sands and the damages it is ensuing on the environment must be taken into

More about Hydraulic Fracking Effects

Open Document