Is Hydraulic Fracturing Environmentally Safe - 1414 Words

Is Hydraulic Fracturing Environmentally Safe? The United States has become one of the largest producers of natural gas and most of the production is from shale plays. Solar, wind, biomass waste and geothermal and hydroelectric energy have long been recognized as renewable and sustainable energy resources; however, they only comprise 9% of our energy consumption; this is in comparison to the growing production of natural gas which accounts for 40% of industrial and 74% of residential energy consumption in 2012 (Chen et al. 1). With natural gas production on the rise, several studies have been made that raises questions about how safe hydraulic fracturing is to the land, water and air. Hydraulic fracturing (known as â€Å"fracking†) is viewed as†¦show more content†¦The additives used in the fracturing fluid include a corrosion inhibitors to protect the wall lining of the pipes, biocides to inhibit microbial growth, friction reducers to reduce the friction between the f lowing fluids and the well pipe, viscosity adjusters that help the fluid carry proppants, and additives that serve a variety of purposes (Hall 3,5). After fracking, both gas and liquids – including the injected water and any water residing in the formation (known as â€Å"flowback† and â€Å"produced water†) – are pulled to the surface. Waste are often stored temporarily in containers or in surface impoundments, also called pits and ponds. A number of mistakes were made during the early days of high-volume hydraulic fracturing. The most serious mistake was the failure to establish baseline water chemistry before drilling campaigns. Many chemical elements (e.g. iron, magnesium potassium) and compounds (e.g. methane) were dissolved in drinking water, but when the water chemistry was measured after the arrival of industry, there was a belief that those chemicals, particularly methane, resulted from drilling. Historically, companies that perform hydraulic fracturing kept the composition of their fracturing fluids confidential, treating the compositions as trade secrets. In recent years, many people have expressed fears that hydraulic fracturing might be harmful to the environment, and they have begun pushing for regulations that would require companies to