ENG 102 – 11006
Jun 8, 2015
Hydraulic Fracturing essay
Hydraulic Fracturing
Because of recent technological advances in energy exploration, petroleum engineers have been able to implement a new and effective way to extract oil from the ground. The hydraulic fracturing also known as fracking is used in nine out of 10 natural gas wells in the United States with the purpose of extracting oil and natural gas (Freeman, 2014). Fracking is a drilling method, and consists of special ground stimulating techniques that can be vertical, horizontal, or in directional sections, where millions of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals are injected under high pressure into shale formations and are pumped underground to break apart the rock …show more content…
economy (Palliser, 2013). Fracking operations in America means less reliance on foreign sources of natural gas, and that creates a generation of domestic jobs and revenues (Palliser, 2012). According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Texas is the state with more than half a million jobs already created linked with fracking, and states like Ohio that lost its manufacturing economy, has been able to generate up to 38,000 jobs because of fracking industry (Freeman, 2014). In addition, a recent study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 21st Century Energy Institute, the extraction of oil and gas through horizontal hydraulic fracturing has created 1.7 million of jobs and 3.5 million of jobs are projected by 2035 (Freeman, …show more content…
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, if the concentration of greenhouse gases increases then less energy will be release back to the atmosphere and as a result the climate will turn hotter over the years and it will be impossible to live in the planet (Thomson, 2013). Also, fracking increases the risk of earthquakes (Palliser, 2012). Nine earthquakes have occurred between March and November of 2011 in Ohio, because during the process of fracking, injection fluids cause a friction between two rocks, helping them to slide and provoking to cause the earthquake (Palliser, 2012). In addition, earthquakes related with fracking have been registered also in Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma since 2009 (Palliser,