The Truth About Fracking: What is Fracking? Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth. It involves pumping millions of gallons of highly pressurized fluid into deep shale formations. This fluid cracks the shale or widens existing cracks, freeing hydrocarbons to flow toward the well. This has led to an eightfold increase in shale gas production over the past decade. Well this sounds pretty good to me. So what is Fracking fluid? 90% of it is water, 9.5% of it is sand and only half of a percent of it is chemicals. Those chemicals are Sodium Chloride (used in salt), Ethylene Glycol (used in household cleaners), Borate salts (used in cosmetics), Sodium/Potassium Carbonate (used in detergent), Guar gum (used in ice cream), and Isopropanol (used in deodorant). Where does the fluid go afterwards? According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency it goes rises back up to the surface and is stored in pits or tanks to be treated. The small amount of fluid left behind is confined by thousands of feet of rock layers. So what is wrong with this efficient way of removing natural gas from the Earth? Maybe the name? I guess “Fracking” sounds a little too harsh for the environmentalist nutjobs. After the large response I received after posting this on tumblr, I did some more research on fracking and I’m adding this in. Big thanks to powerelectronics, my followers, and the other people who responded to my post. Here is what I’m adding to my post. Fracking isn’t polluting water aquifers. Fracking is done well below 7,000 feet, and solid rock separates the oil and gas deposits from shallow groundwater aquifers. And if that’s not enough, the wells are built with at least four layers of steel casing and concrete and are cemented in place, separating it from water aquifers. That’s not to say that there is no chance of anything bad ever happening. There have been some small oil and gas companies over the years didn’t take proper care in cementing their wells or in plugging old wells. But if your gas company comes to your house to fix something and they screw up and your house fills with gas. That doesn’t mean that no one should have gas hookups in their house, it just means that particular gas company really screwed up. Today companies use better well casings and improved cementing to ensure no aquifers are contaminated. State agencies have also established regulations regarding well construction and water management designed to prevent methane migration and protect water supplies. By the way those videos of fireballs coming from faucets, that isn’t caused by fracking. State environmental officials even say that this problem was not caused by fracking, but by water wells drilled in areas with high natural levels of methane. Fracking also doesn’t use a lot of water, it uses less water than that needed to produce other sources of energy such as coal and nuclear. In 2010, the 3,500 shale-gas wells drilled in the U.S. accounted for about 0.02% of the country’s total water usage. And companies drilling in major shale formations are quickly adopting recycling methods that treat 70 to 100% of the returned fracking fluids for reuse in another well. Almost all of the states insist that fracking and getting rid of wastewater be done properly. In the decades since fracking was first used in Oklahoma in the 1940s, there have been more than a million oil and gas wells drilled across the country. The instances of water contamination have been miniscule compared to the number of wells drilled. And not one of those contaminated wells was caused by fracking. Even federal EPA (The people on your side) Administrator Lisa Jackson says “States are stepping up and doing a good job,” According to a study by IHS Global Insight, in 2010, U.S. shale gas production due to fracking generated $76 billion toward GDP, accounted for $33 billion in capital investments, was responsible for $18 billion in tax and federal royalty revenues, and supported 600,000 jobs. Experts estimate that nearly $2 trillion in capital investments will be created into the U.S. shale-gas industry through 2035. The benefits of such large investments will spread through communities, businesses, and governments. #truth #fracking #hydraulicfracturing #shalegas #howtonotbestupid #teen #information
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:21:05 +0000
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