Apr 20, 2012 scientific american is the essential guide to the most aweinspiring advances in science and technology. Fracking has dramatically increased the amount of natural gas accessible to drillers in the united states. Natural gas extraction fracking is being touted as the answer. The evolving truth about fracking for natural gas updated. This represents a 67 percent increase in the oil and gas industry. Scientific american is the essential guide to the most aweinspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our. Fracking in the american mind 2012 center for climate. Mar 18, 2014 indeed, the ongoing boom in oil and natural gas production made possible by fracking has been the saving grace of the entire u. The evolving truth about fracking for natural gas updated april 20, 2012 mark.
Jun 06, 20 a couple of items about fracking regulations worth keeping track of. Energy information administration forecasts that by 2035 electricity production. In communities across the us, people are hearing more and more about a controversial oil and. Fracking has raised concerns over its economic and environmental consequences. Next, pits are used to evaporate fracking flowback and dehydration unit wastewater. Respondentswereaskedtoratehowgoodorbadtheyconsider fracking tobe,usinga.
Apr 09, 2015 fracking for oil and natural gas is transforming the way america powers its economy. A short summary of current knowledge and potential environmental impacts 1. Hydraulic fracturing and water resources 65 we note that there is no single definition of hydraulic fracturing. First, the associated press reports that the comment period is being extended by 60days for a new rule that will regulate.
J ust a decade ago, only the smallest sliver of the u. Fracking helped produce so much natural gas that a supply glut drove gas prices down to a 10year low in the winter of 20112012, according to the eia, and that has made it more competitive with. Accessible and informative, this book is perfect for general readers, industry and environmental professionals, regulators, politicians, community leaders. Fracking has become one of the hot topics in both the media and sci ence. The gas, primarily methane, is cheap and relatively clean. From the very beginning of clearing a site for drilling, through extraction, transport and delivery of finished products, fracking poses significant risks to our air and water and to human health. The shale gas rush has spawned enough compelling stories about companies and individuals to. In recent years, wells built for this form of natural gas extraction have spread by the thousands through various parts of the country, an expansion many argue outpaces the science done to understand its. I have been researching this problem for a while and there is 50%70% of fracking fluid still left in the ground, and of that fracking fluid that is. Fracking for natural gas is linked with earthquakes. One of the concerns raised by the public has been about the millions of gallons of fracking fluid required during the process, and its potential to contaminate groundwater and drinking water sources.
Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas pollutes water wells scientific. Amongthosewithanopinionabout fracking,aslimmajoritythinkitisbad. The practicein which a mix of water, sand and chemicals is injected deep. How fracking ignited the american energy revolution and. The flood of lowpriced natural gas has undercut new nuclear plants and nudged utilities to pull the plug on. Key impacts of dirty drilling at the state and national level executive summary o ver the past decade, the oil and gas industry has fused two technologieshydraulic fracturing and horizontal drillingin a highly polluting effort to unlock oil and gas in underground rock formations across the united states. Americas alternative energy revolution kindle edition by graves, john. Some, including industry representatives, define hydraulic fracturing narrowly, referring only to the process by which fluids are injected into a well bore. Each chapter focuses on a particular controversy, such contamination of well water with gas from fracking, and follows a similar format.
Chris mooney is a host of the point of inquiry podcast. What happens when natural gas drilling moves into an urban area. Scientific american is the essential guide to the most aweinspiring. Chemicals routinely used in hydraulic fracturing and other. Published to coincide with the wellcome collections exhibition smoke and mirrors. Fracking threatens to crack politics scientific american. Injection wells blamed in oklahoma earthquakes science.
Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are safely unlocking vast u. The drop in demand and the increase in supply, thanks to the fracking revolution hydraulic fracking coupled with horizontal drilling, is. Respondentswereaskedtoratehowgoodorbadtheyconsiderfrackingtobe,usinga. Feed high pressured fracking fluid into the well via a pumping tank. Unlocking americas natural gas resources august 2017. Both the original fracking chemicals and any of the chemical compounds naturally present in the gas lighter hydrocarbons, benzene, toluene, hydrogen sulfide, etc.
It will help shapeand drive this battle in the years ahead. A couple of items about fracking regulations worth keeping track of. The high pressure and intensity of the fracking fluid rushes into the shale layers, cracks, and crevices. Oct 24, 2014 the drop in demand and the increase in supply, thanks to the fracking revolution hydraulic fracking coupled with horizontal drilling, is causing consternation locally as well as internationally. Scientific american is the essential guide to the most aweinspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives. The psychology of magic, the spectacle of illusion is a delightful and informative roller coaster that explores our fascination with magic, the paranormal, and the psychology of cognitive illusions.
Amongthosewithanopinionaboutfracking,aslimmajoritythinkitisbad. Fracking looks set to be an issue that exposes political fault lines for years to come. But north american horror stories of fracking polluting the aquifers that hold drinking water were dramatically trumped in the uk last spring when one of the first shale gas fracking operations on. Scientific american is the essential guide to the most aweinspiring advances in science and technology. Few subjects in contemporary american life would seem riper for. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading fracking. Apr 17, 2012 but north american horror stories of fracking polluting the aquifers that hold drinking water were dramatically trumped in the uk last spring when one of the first shale gas fracking operations on. While oil and gas companies fob off environmental concerns and attempt to switch focus to the enormous advantage north american countries can garner from being energyindependent, environmentalists warn that a distinct lack of environmental impact studies on fracking, coupled with a lack of research into the effects the fracking chemicals have. The problem with fictional accounts of the fracking boom is the real thing proves far more captivating. People have been aware for decades that the rock formation known as the marcellus shale has. When natural gas drilling moves into an urban or a suburban neighborhood, a twohundredfoothigh drill appears on the other side of a back yard fence and diesel trucks clog a quiet twolane residential street. Today, politicized science and antiamerican ideology combine to frustrate natural. How fracking ignited the american energy revolution and changed the world simon and schuster, 2014.
It works by injecting fracking fluid water with chemicals added at high pressure into wells to create cracks in the rock. Fracking america belongs on the bookshelf of everyone in the vast movement fighting the fracking scourge. First used in the 1940s, hydraulic fracturing has unlocked massive new supplies of oil and cleanburning natural gas from dense deposits of shale supplies that increase our countrys energy security and improve our ability to generate electricity, heat. Mas ultra school edition html full text the truth about fracking contents 1. Nov 03, 2014 scientific american is the essential guide to the most aweinspiring advances in science and technology. Fracking in the american mind 2012 ourenergypolicy. Key impacts of dirty drilling at the state and national level. Because america is brimful of the stuff, harvesting the fuel via fracking could provide the country jobs and reduce its dependence on. Fracking can contaminate drinking water scientific american. Aug 16, 2019 pump in high pressured fracking fluid.
Author matt tompkinswho is both a psychologist and a magician makes a detailed analysis of magicians. Indeed, the ongoing boom in oil and natural gas production made possible by fracking has been the saving grace of the entire u. First used in the 1940s, hydraulic fracturing has unlocked massive new supplies of oil and cleanburning natural gas from dense deposits of shale supplies that increase our countrys energy security and improve our ability to generate. Respondentswereaskedtoratehowgoodorbadtheyconsiderfrackingtobe. Environmental impacts associated with hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a proven and wellregulated technology. Respondentswereaskedtoratehowgoodorbadtheyconsider fracking tobe.
Hank gives us a summary of the important facts about fracking. This fracking fluid contains a mixture of water, sand, and 510 chemicals ranging in toxicity. Fracking for oil and natural gas is transforming the way america powers its economy. The epa found scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact. Sep 18, 2012 fracking helped produce so much natural gas that a supply glut drove gas prices down to a 10year low in the winter of 20112012, according to the eia, and that has made it more competitive with. The politicization of sci ence, and leftists use of pseudoscience, can be traced back many decades, notably to the lefts false attacks 30 years ago on president reagans strategic defense initiative. Fracking america is highlyrecommended for anyone studying the subject at any level, whether they arenewcomers to fracking or activists who have only researched environmentalimpact, and need to fill in the blanks on political processes and impacts that hold important questions about american freedoms and political maneuvering. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a highpressure technique for cracking rocks and allowing natural gas to reach wells. Missing answers a natural gas boom is under way in the united states, with more than 200,000 wells drilled in just under a decade.
Gold is the senior energy reporter for the wall street journal and author of the boom. People have been aware for decades that the rock formation known as the marcellus shale has natural gas trapped inside it. Indeed, after natural gas imports peaked in 2007, the country has seen a boom in domestic production and in construction of natural gas power plants. Jan 22, 20 hank gives us a summary of the important facts about fracking. Mooney, chris, scientific american, 00368733, nov2011, vol. The way fracking is taking place, there are questions being asked about the process and its implications. Fracking, in natural gas and petroleum production, injection of a fluid at high pressure into an underground rock formation in order to open fissures and allow trapped gas or crude oil to flow through a pipe to a wellhead at the surface. I have been researching this problem for a while and there is 50%70% of fracking fluid still left in the ground, and of that fracking fluid that is contaminating peoples water, there is 600.
How fracking ignited the american energy revolution and changed the world, which will be released early next month. The science behind the controversy is an important book that should be read by anyone concerned or interested in shale gas or the issues surrounding fracking. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. People who live and work near fracking sites are at greater risk for respiratory and neurological diseases. Bill mckibben, author and schumann distinguished scholar at middlebury college. Some regulators are not waiting for bet ter science. Archived from the original pdf on 27 september 2011. However, the older type of fracking known as vertical fracking or fracking for conventional gas is different than the new form of fracking that involves multistage, high pressure, horizontal fracking. Hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurized. Today, its one of the most incendiary environmental topics going. Other tight sandstone wells in the us made economically viable by massive hydraulic. Protecting americans from the risks of fracking pdf for more information.
290 250 316 729 579 1439 46 1542 1097 50 742 122 1508 1020 999 532 1164 402 42 1043 1627 1322 582 1415 1638 390 64 445 476 1267 702 988 1346 1658 173 1476 54 994 798 172 741