#15 What is fracking?
“Fracking” is hydraulic fracturing, a new method of extracting gas and oil from rocks at a depth of 2,000 to 10,000 feet down into the shale. Deep walls are drilled straight down through the aquifer and drilling then curves horizontally below the surface into shale rock. Water with fracking fluid is then injected at enormous pressure into the shale, which breaks the rocks apart and releases the methane trapped within. Via: dailypix.me
#14 Fracking banned
In the state of Vermont, fracking is banned. The treatment of fracking wastewater is banned in New Jersey, which doesn’t have pockets of natural gas like other states (namely Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania). Outside of the U.S., fracking is also banned in France, Bulgaria, and South Africa. Via: dailypix.me
#13 Job creation
The gas industry currently employs more than 1.2 million people in the U.S. and accounts for about $385 billion in direct economic activity within the country. The Department of Energy estimates that natural gas resources have increased by nearly 65 percent due to fracking. With fracking, only more jobs will be created in the gas industry. Via: dailypix.me
#12 A heavy pro
While the public debate has largely focused on the water contamination that fracking process causes, little attention has been given to the fact that natural gas does in fact burn cleaner than other fossil fuels. This means that shale gas is a healthier alternative to other greenhouse gases — and that replacing coal power plants could reduce greenhouse emissions by more than 50 percent. With the right regulation, shale gas is an enticing energy alternative for reducing air pollution. Via: dailypix.me
#11 Artists Against Fracking
Artists Against Fracking is a group of over 200 entertainers who are raising public awareness in New York regarding the dangers of fracking. The group was started by Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lenon, who gathered the support of nearly 150 fellow artists in less than 10 days. Members include Alec Baldwin, Beck, Carrie Fisher, Lady Gaga, Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman, Juliane Moore, and Jimmy Fallon. Via: dailypix.me
#10 Years to come
Comprehensive fracking studies will likely take much longer for researchers to have a concrete grasp on the effects of fracking on the environment and potentially people’s health. New York is entering the fifth year of its review of the fracking process, and experts say legislators still do not have enough evidence to make an informed decision on legalizing fracking. Via: dailypix.me
#9 Carbon footprint
The potential for shale gas in undeniable, but cons outside of water pollution do exist. For example, the carbon footprint of shale gas is at least 20 percent greater and perhaps twice as great over the next 20 years when compared to that of coal. That means that fracking causes more methane emission than coal does. Via: dailypix.me
#8 Dangerous fluid
Fracking uses a chemical cocktail known as fracking fluid. Companies that use fracking fluid refuse to disclose the contents of the fluid, claiming that the recipe is proprietary, but samples from well sites yield results that show that fracking fluid contains chemicals such as formaldehyde, acetic acids, citric acides, and boric acids. And that’s only a few of the list of hundreds of contaminants. Via: dailypix.me
#7 Permanently contaminated water
Fracking essentially ruins freshwater with toxic chemicals. Each well uses anywhere between two and five million gallons of locally-sourced freshwater that is then permanently contaminated by the fracking fluid, which contains toxic chemicals and ground contaminants. Via: dailypix.me
#6 Environmental problems abound
At least 9 states have reported surface, ground, and drinking water contamination due to fracking. In Pennsylvania alone, over 1,400 environmental violations have been attributed to deep gas wells while pollution from chemical contamination, habitat fragmentation, truck traffic, and damage from drilling have all been linked to fracking. Via: dailypix.me
#5 Illegal use of diesel fuel
A recent Congressional investigation revealed that 32 million gallons of diesel fuel have been injected illegally into the ground as a fracking chemical in 19 states between 2005 and 2009. Diesel fuel is particularly damaging to water supplies, which is the reason why it is the only fracking chemical still under regulation based on the UIC (underground injection control) program of the SDWA (Safe Drinking Water Act). However, state law does not necessarily prevent companies from using diesel fuel in fracking fluid. Via: dailypix.me
#4 Federal regulations
The federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 contained a provision that came to be known as the “Halliburton Loophole”, which exempted gas drilling and extraction from the requirements in the UIC (underground injection control) program of the SDWA (Safe Drinking Water Act). Other legal loopholes exist as well in the Clean Air and Clean Water Act. Via: dailypix.me
#3 State exemptions
Even though a single fracking well can use up to five million gallons of locally-sourced water, fracking is exempt from state water use regulation based on the legislation. This means that not only are there federal loopholes for fracking, but also state exemptions that allow companies to engage in unmonitored fracking. Via: dailypix.me
#2 Earthquakes
Several earthquakes in both the U.S. and abroad have been linked to fracking. Cuadrilla Resources, a British company, admitted in a report that its fracking process well was in fact responsible for a number of “minor seismic events”. Via: dailypix.me
#1 Reform time
Organizations like Clean Water Action is proposing a set of reforms that will hopefully reduce the environmental risks that fracking poses on our natural resources. These reforms include requiring public disclosure of the contents of chemicals used in the fracking process and requiring companies (rather than taxpayers) to pay for the legal and financial impacts of well accidents. Via: dailypix.me
What Is Fracking? Here Are The Facts
