The Environmental Impacts of Fracking

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The Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing On the Environment Amber (Dawn) Phillips University Of Pheonix Abstract Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking offers a means to reduce foreign oil dependence for America. While this may be a solution for one problem, the process itself can and will cause problems on a much greater scale. Fracking methods are posing great dangers of damage to our already polluted environment. If the process as it stands at this point continues, the harm will be irreversible and dire. The Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing On the Environment Dependence on foreign oil has long been a concern of Americans. Therefore many arguments have ensued between officials in charge of finding a solution to that dependence. While those arguing had their heads turned, an entity far more menacing than foreign oil began drilling deep into American soil in an effort to gain access to previously unreachable stores of natural gas contained in the shale beds deep within the Earth. That entity is a government sanctioned method called Hydraulic Fracturing or fracking. While fracking does have the power to reduce American dependence on foreign oil, that process leaves the Earth, air, and water contaminated and inhabitable Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking) involves a method of injecting water, sand and chemicals into a drilling site, those chemicals have shown to be hazardous to human health and well- being. In fact, 60% of those chemicals are known carcinogens and another 40% or more are endocrine disrupters. (Environmental Health Perspectives, 2011, para. 4) Mishalia Greene, a spokeswoman for the Chevron Company, stated on February 5, 2012, “that the chemicals make up less than 1% of the frack fluids, and the other 99% is made up of a sand and water mixture.” Further research into this claim showed that the 1% equaled 7500 gallons of chemicals are flushed into every
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