What exactly is hydrofracking?
– Hydraulic Fracturing is a method of extracting natural gas from shale deposits thousands of feet under ground
-Shale contains deposits of natural gas, which collect in small pockets in the rock
– Wells are drilled down to the shale layer of rock, then drilled horizontally through the shale
-Next, water mixed with sand and chemicals is pumped down the well into the shale, this creates large amounts of pressure and causes cracks (fracturing) in the rock
-The pressure pushes the natural gas in the pockets through the fractures and into the pipe, where it is carried to the surface and extracted.
-The “produced water” or mixture of chemicals and water is pumped out of the well
Pros of Fracking:
~The USA has abundant deposits of natural gas.
~The amount allows it to be cheaper than other fuel sources
~We do not have to rely on other countries for it
~It burns significantly cleaner than oil
~Reduces reliance on coal and nuclear power
Cons:
* Produced water is toxic and slightly radioactive due to heavy metals and radioactive materials in the shale layer
*Shallow drilling can leak methane into the groundwater
*Looks bad to the eye
What is being said about it?
Opponents say it contaminates ground water with dangerous chemicals, however experts on the process disagree. The chemicals would not penetrate up through thousands of feet of ground into the aquifer, and if they did then all of our water would probably be radioactive due to the abundance of uranium, radium, and other radioactive elements in the shale layer.