Fracking and its effect on the environment FACTS INTRODUCTION Effects of Fracking Pros about fracking 70 to 140 billion gallons of water used to fracture 35,000 wells in the U.S. each year Contamination of underground water resources due to well casing failure Noise Pollution; residents of areas where fracking takes place also have concerns about the effect that the consistent presence of heavy vehicles has on their daily lives In 2009 Oklahoma experienced over 1,000 earthquakes compared to the average of 50 per year as a result of fracking Fracking has been increasing since 2010. . .   Fracking is one of the largest aggressions against the environment and our community. Hydraulic fracturing or better known as “Fracking” is a technique that improves the extraction of gas and oil from the ground. For fracking to take place, water with sand and toxic elements are injected deep into the ground with high pressure. Existing fractures on the rocks that are deep inside the ground will release gas or oil towards outside due to the pressure. Therefore, it is causing many effects on our community and even wildlife. . First of all, municipal drinking water supplies that relied on surface water are being contaminated due to fracking liquids that are being dumped near the wells. Contamination of municipal drinking water supplies is relevant because wild animals, plants and people ourselves need this water as a resource in order to survive. Secondly, deforestation takes place during the process of fracking. while wells and fracking plants are being built. Deforestation is relevant because vegetation is being destroyed and wild animals will migrate to urban areas. Thirdly, According to National Geographic Society, 70% of earth’s land animals and plants live in forests and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes. The national organization Environment America that cares for the protection of the environment concluded after a research that since 2005 360,000 acres were damaged. Fourthly, well pads also require access roads, commonly dirt roads, which lead to increased dust that adversely impacts local air quality. Fifthly, Many toxic elements in fracking fluids are carcinogenic (cancer-causing) or mutagenic. Since fracking companies do not have to reveal the elements they use in order to complete the method. They are using elements that are dangerous for us and our environment. Sixthly, pumping water and fracking fluids with pressure under the ground causes minor earthquakes. Opponents say that fracking is beneficial to the economy in certain ways. There will be more job opportunities around the drilling areas and also fracking is cheaper than other methods. Fracking is a method that is happening worldwide. Russia, USA, China and Argentina are the countries with the highest fracking potential. Fracking is also cheaper than other methods used for extraction of oil and gas. This is beneficial for the economy of the country. Fracking could make the US energy independent because they have so many domestic resources. Less dependence on foreign energy sources will lower energy costs helping to revive the world’s economies. The US alone has an estimated 2,400 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. CONCLUSIONS Fracking is a risky method to extract oil and gas from under the ground because it threatens our community in many ways. Therefore, a solution is to conduct it in a way that it reduces the impacts on our environment and being careful about it. According to the daily newspaper published in New York, Wall Street Journal, fracking can be done safely by fixing the leaks of methane that come from wells and pipelines by tightening the pipes. More testing should be done on this in order to continue this process. By testing the water around the area before and after the process protects the companies from false claims. Distance from surface 7,700 ft deep REFERENCES Gasland [Motion picture on DVD]. (2010). United States: New Video Group/HBO/International WOW Company. Bastone, K. (2013, January 1). National Parks and Hydraulic Fracturing (J. Nations, Ed.). Retrieved January 1, 2013, from http://www.npca.org/assets/pdf/Fracking_Report.pdf The Ethics of Fracking [Motion picture on DVD]. (2014). United States: Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition. CONTACT Andrea Quero Fracking and its effect on environment Email: queroa@vcu.edu