Essay Hydraulic Fracturing Must be Reformed - 1457 Words

The multi-billion dollar gas industry is seeking to expand its production across the nation, in light of new technology making extracting natural gas much easier. A Healthy alternative to the fossil fuels we so frivolously use is now more critical than ever. In 2011, the United States used 18.83 million barrels of raw oil daily, and in 2010 19.18 million barrels of petroleum products and biofuels. In 2010 and 2011, that was nearly 22% of the world’s oil supply. (U.S Department of Energy) Previously inaccessible areas in the Marcellus Shale region of the United States, stretching from West Virginia to New York, are being unearthed by a controversial method of extracting natural gas, called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. A Healthy†¦show more content†¦Her report used 24 case studies of shale-gas regions in six states whose livestock have experienced a wide range of neurological, reproductive, and gastrointestinal problems after exposure to chemicals from fracking through water or air, accidentally or incidentally. (Bamberger, 194) The livestock death toll is small when examined next to the nations livestock in a whole, but the study shows that this may be a harbinger for the nations live food supply. In northern Pennsylvania, a livestock population was examined where fracking wastewater was exposed to 140 cattle, around 70 cows died, and the cattle that did survive, reproduced a slim number of 11 calves, and within those 11 calves, only three survived. (Ba mberger 195) This study was done on a small portion of the nations cattle supply when examined, but empirical data suggests that if fracking is expanded, so will the negative health effects of our food supply. Within the Marcellus Shale region in western Pennsylvania, fracking chemicals were accidently released into a pasture where one farm had their pregnant cows graze. Directly correlated to this, over 50% of their calves were born dead. Within this study, cattle farmers in West Virginia, Texas, and Colorado, also reported deaths of their livestock via fracking chemicals. (Bamberger 195) Michelle Bambergner isolated her study to Jacki Schilke’s cattle farm in North Dakota, in the center of the states growingShow MoreRelatedHydraulic Fracturing, or â€Å"Fracking†, is questionable in many people’s eyes. The â€Å"Why† â€Å"How†1700 Words   |  7 PagesHydraulic Fracturing, or â€Å"Fracking†, is questionable in many people’s eyes . The â€Å"Why† â€Å"How† comes up often when hydraulic fracturing is mentioned. Fracking has been tested and proven to be an environmental safe process. Introduced in the 1940’s, hydraulic fracturing has discovered a considerable amount of oil and clean-burning natural gas from underneath the earth’s surface. Fracking contributes in providing well-needed resources from the earth’s surface to increase our country’s energy security