Let's get up to date Blog Post
Although it has boosted the oil industry, fracking seems to be one of the most pressing environmental issues in our world right now. Fracking is a method of oil and natural gas extraction that involves injecting fluid into rock formations at high pressure. When energy companies choose to use fracking in search of oil and natural gas they have guidelines in place to avoid contamination of drinking water near the location that fracking is taking place. However, the public is not aware of what fracking really is and not much research has been done to observe the effects of the method for extracting natural gas. In a more in-depth definition from the Independent Petroleum Association of America, Fracking is the injection of water and materials such as sand at extreme pressure to cause small breaks within the rock formation to make it easier for oil that is deeper in the ground can be extracted safely. (IPAA)
Environmental laws have been developed to address issues including fracking. However, these laws often include loopholes that industries bypass for economic purposes. Some examples of environmental laws that have loopholes include the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts. Due to the fact, there is not much regulation from the federal level, regulation is mostly left up to the states. In some states, the public knowledge of the chemicals used in fracking is completely voluntary. As stated in the article from the Union of Concerned Scientists, only eight states had passed laws mandating water quality testing at fracking sites, and just two of those eight required ongoing water quality monitoring. (UCSUSA 2015)
Fracking is becoming widely used due to the effectiveness of the method, but we are not completely sure of the severity of it. When creating actual laws and regulations, it’s important to use specific language so oil and gas companies can’t find loopholes to slip through. Many movements have started to promote the idea of banning the oil extraction method, but there is still a lack of research. We need to focus our efforts on research on the side effects of fracking so that policy can be made preventing the use of it with credible evidence so that there is limited deliberation and so more people are convinced of the severity of the issue.
Comments
Post a Comment