Picture: This picture shows what an ordinary fracking station looks like. This method of retrieving natural gas and oil is so harmful to the environment. Many people have opposite view points on this.
Summary: The U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection) announced that they believe that fracking for oil and natural gas may be a cause for pollution to groundwater. In more detail, this process that wants to be regulated more is called hydraulic fracturing or fracking. What this means is that they pump pressurized water, sand, and chemicals to create fissures that allow oil and natural gas to flow more to the surface. In places like Wyoming residents say that the water reeks and that racking chemicals have been found in the groundwater. The EPA even went to the extreme of telling people not to drink the water. Unusually, the fracking process in this area is not normal to the proper way to do it, which may have contributed to this. To be more specific, what they did was drill under an aquifer and too close to wells. Even after all this, only states like Texas and Colorado are considering stopping and disclosing fracking chemicals.
Opinion/Reflection: I very recently learned about this in class. I have seen in some places that you can light tap water on fire. That is completely unacceptable. I was just wondering how this even was allowed to reach their homes. Imagine if someone, and I am sure they did, drink this water. Besides that those chemicals should never have entered the water. There really should more regulations so that this never happens again and to this extent. I know that this really helps when trying to get natural gas and oil and hopefully they can make this process more safe to the environment.
Question 1: Do you think this should be encouraged or be completely illegal?
Question 2: What could people do if this happens again?
Question 3: What should happen to the industry as a consequence?
Opinion/Reflection: I think that all of this fracking should be stopped. Its harming our very limited drinking water supply and the enviroment around it. Anyone who drinks the water that is polluted with chemicals by these companies could become sick, get a disease, or even die. Apparently, all anyone cares about anymore is money! What I can't understand is why these companies don't use a different form of energy such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, or wind energy. All of these things we can use for electricity instead of having to drill into the ground to get natural gas. I also recently learned about this in class and in some cases, the water is so badly polluted that if you put a lighted match under it, the water catches on fire. That is terrible! I try to think about what my life would be like if I didn't have any clean water and I can't even imagine it! I use my water for drinking, taking a shower, washing my hands, etc. However, what really shocked me out of all of this is that only Texas and Colorado are considering stopping the fracking and getting rid of fracking chemicals. All states should really try to ban fracking in general.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Question #1: I think fracking should be completely illegal! I know fracking is harming our water, ground, and our people! How can a company get away with this! I think that any company who drills into the ground for oil or natural gas when there are other ways to get energy should be fined a large amount of money. I just dislike the idea of fracking.
Opinion/Reflection- Fracking needs to stop! It's bad for the environment and can give people contaminated drinking water. I also strongly agree with Mike, and how he says the only thing everyone cares about is money. Fracking needs to be stopped in all places, not just Colorado and Wyoming. They probably have fracking stations in Pennsylvania, and I would hope they stop and they can find easier and healthier ways to get things like oil and natural gas. All this just blows my mind on how bad this is getting, and how unhealthy it is for the environment. The water is also so badly contaminated, and people need their clean water for so many different things. I really hope this gets fixed.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Question 1: Fracking should be illegal! All it is doing it bad stuff. It's unhealthy for the environment, and giving us contaminated water. I think they should find different ways to do this, and if they do, it would be so much better. I really hope one day fracking becomes illegal.
Opinion/Reflection-
ReplyDeleteI believe that the whole process of fracking should be stopped or at least moved to an area where a very low population of people are living in! I agree with Jordan how she said that it has to be stopped everywhere and not in just two states (Colorado and Wyoming)! Fracking has started contaminating many towns' water systems and if this process keeps going on, it can spread all over the country. There have to be safer and way less dangerous ways to power places instead of using oil and natural gas! Fracking is getting worse everyday and even worse......our enviroment is suffering from it!!!! I think the worse part is that it's contaminating people's water so it is making it much harder for them to drink. I also learned about this in class and how you can put the liquid over a flame and it can light up! I want to try this at home to see if my water is suffering any damage from fracking.
Answer to Question 1-
I think that fracking should become ILLEGAL!!! It isn't like it is helping people in the long run, instead its harming them and their enviroment. All this processs is doing is bad things for our enviroment and I don't like it. Although I can't relate to the people its happening to, I think that making fracking illegal would be the best decision for our country at the moment!
Opinion/Reflection: I don't agree with fracking at all! I think this is such a dangerous way to get natural gas out of the ground! I think citizens should make a petition to stop fracking in Colorado and Wyoming and other places in the United States! I think that fracking isn't helping anyone at this point and I don't think it will help anyone in the long run. The only thing that it is doing is harming our environment, and people!! Clean water is a basic human right and everyone deserves it. The fact that people's tap water is being contaminated and can be light on fire is just absolutely ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Question 3: I think that the companies who are fracking and harming people in the process should be fined a large amount of money to try to undo what damage they caused. I think that they should have to pay everyone affected majorly by fracking! I don't think they should be allowed to continue either.