Arguments For Hydraulic Fracturing: Opinion Essay

I am a current citizen and resident of the state of New York and a landowner. The land I own has been a source of hydraulic fracturing, a process that extracts natural gas that can be used to generate energy. As a landowner, a resident of New York, and a proponent for new, reliable forms of energy, I feel that it is my duty to inform you of the various benefits of hydraulic fracturing. I personally believe that hydraulic fracturing has numerous benefits, which far outweigh the minimal consequences that are often brought up by environmental organizations and ATSDR.

First of all, hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, has numerous economic benefits. Since hydraulic fracturing can be performed domestically, there is no need for the importing of oil from other countries. This has a four-fold benefit. First, millions of dollars are saved in import costs, allowing for the American people to have reduced costs for heating, cooling, and electricity. Second, the money invested into hydraulic fracturing stays within the economy, and is not given to external countries, such as Russia or Qatar. Third, drilling for natural gas and oil has also allowed for the creation of thousands of jobs in our country, and has also allowed landowners like me to benefit from this industry. The creation of these jobs has provided a significant boost for the economy, aside from the boost it has already gotten from the reduced costs of generating electricity via hydraulic fracturing. Moreover, there are acres and acres of empty domestic land which could be used for hydraulic fracturing. Fourth, the burning of natural gas to generate electricity is far more economical than using coal.

While on the subject of coal, I believe it is important to inform you that natural gas has numerous benefits when compared to the usage of coal. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, has been a staple of energy production in the United States. However, coal is a limited resource that we are quickly depleting. While engineers and environmentalists research better, sustainable, and economical methods of renewable energy, the use of natural gas via hydraulic fracturing is a commendable and reliable substitute. There is no shortage of natural gas available to the United States. It is also imperative to understand that natural gas has been proven to be much more environmentally friendly when compared to fossil fuels. Natural gas power plants emit significantly less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than coal-based power plants. Carbon dioxide is the second most harmful greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, and significantly contributes to the deleterious effects of global warming. Aside from the harmful environmental effects, coal can also release toxic and poisonous sulfur into the air, which can harm nearby residents. Burning natural gas releases much less carbon dioxide, and does not release toxic chemicals such as sulfur, leading to a better outlook for air quality and the potential of slowing down global warming. Many environmentalists argue that hydraulic fracturing can cause severe contamination of drinking water and can potentially endanger the health of many people. However, drinking water is at a completely different ground level than natural gas deposits, making contamination very unlikely. However, in the case of contamination, the cause is usually due to faulty piping and cracks in the tubing which allow for chemical leaks. The solution to this is easy—have higher standard and stricter regulations for tubing. The alternative solution—completely halt hydraulic fracturing—has far more negative consequences to the overall wellbeing of the US economy and the environment.

Another separate factor of the environment that many environmentalists bring up is the possibility of seismic disasters due to the intensity and depth of drilling from hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing has been conducted for several years, and no seismic events have occurred which suggest that fracking is a direct cause. Moreover, humans have been drilling wells for water for thousands of years now, and there is still no direct causation between this drilling and seismic events. Though environmentalists and geologists like to point fingers at the possibility that hydrofracking can invoke earthquakes, there is no direct scientific evidence to back up this false claim.

Because of the aforementioned reasons, I believe that hydrofracking should be a continued, well-funded, and trusted source of fuel for the country. I believe that hydrofracking operations should be recommended and fully allowed in the state of New York, but I also believe that there should be strict regulations and continued research on the operations to help improve the current methods. For example, I personally think that there should be higher standards and quality for tubing and pipes that are drilled into the ground in order to prevent any water contamination. Continued research will also help mitigate any other problems, and can also improve the current methods of drilling. I believe that the numerous benefits of hydraulic fracturing far outweigh the consequences, and for this reason, it should be continued in our state.