Contemporary Advocacy: Fracking on Public Lands

Contemporary Advocacy: Fracking on Public Lands

The economy is still clearly in a very vulnerable position. With so many jobs being outsourced abroad, growth in American industries has proven slow. However, the gas industry tied to fracking in shale deposits has grown dramatically, proving to be a crucial component in the attempt to stabilize the overall economy. Yet, recent research and experience of fracking methods illustrate the potential dangers that are very real with the process of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. In response to environmental hazards, most often in the form of water pollution and geological consequences, contemporary legislation has begun to adopt stricter regulations of fracking activities; yet it is clear that these restrictions must still be tightened in order to prevent further ecological damage.

Fracking is a relatively new process involved in the mining for resources like minerals and oil deposits. It has become a popular method of drilling across operations on American soil. It is essentially a name coined for the process of hydraulic fracturing. The research illustrates the process involved with this method; “hydraulic fracturing involves drilling thousands of feet below the earth's surface and pumping millions of gallons of water and chemical additives at high pressure into the well” (Howard 1). Mining is increased in terms of efficiency through the use of high power fluid distribution to dissolve very porous and soft rock layers. This process often uses water and other fluids to blast into rock. The research shows that fluid is pressurized and then used to decimate rock layers in order to reach various minerals and resources underneath ground, such as oil and gas reserves. Fracking methods often work best with materials such as dolomite, limestone, coal, shale, and sandstone, environments where the rock layers a very porous. Currently, over 700 million acres of public lands and 56 million tribal...