Fracking
21st October, 2022
The UK government has recently voted to allow fracking, despite in their 2019 election manifesto, saying they would not allow it. So, what exactly is fracking, and why do so many people oppose it?
What is fracking?
Fracking according to the Oxford English dictionary is;
fracking
ˈfrakɪŋ
noun
the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc. so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas. Also called hydraulic fracturing.
It is a method of extracting gas from rock, deep underground, using high pressured water and chemicals to force open cracks to release gas.
What are the benefits of fracking gas?
Those in favour of fracking for gas, say it would reduce reliance on importing gas from overseas, and make the country more energy independent. This would help at a time when there are sanctions on Russia, and the cost of gas has increase dramatically. They also argue that accessing gas reserves here in Britain would be lower emissions overall, compared to LNG gas shipped to Britain from thousands of miles away.
Why are environmentalists against fracking?
The main reason for being against fracking is that as it is a fossil fuel, it will further increase CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, when the country has committed to reduce CO2 emissions. They say that investing in renewable energy, such as wind and solar makes more sense as it is cheaper, faster to create and will not increase CO2 emissions. Also, it is a resource that as the name suggests is a resource that will last forever, whereas fossil fuels are finite resources, that will run out eventually. Other concerns include the environmental impact on the local areas the fracking sites are built, wastewater produced by the fracking process, and also potential small earth tremors, that can occur when rocks are fractured.
The USA has fracking, what is their experience?
Wikipedia has an extensive page all about fracking in the USA. It has loads of information about how the country has benefitted economically from fracking and also some of environmental impacts. There are currently 4 states that have banned fracking; New York State, Washington State, Maryland and Vermont.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing_in_the_United_States#Oil_and_gas_supply
Videos that show what fracking sites look like, traffic etc.
Cabot Oil & Gas Mead Site, Bridgewater Township, Pennsylvania
This video shows the site, that the person who made the video says is close to homes and has had daily acitivity of noise, lights, traffic, and dust. They say that "there is 53 Gas Compressor Stations in my county to process the gas and push it through new gas pipelines. Loads of new gas pipelines up to 42 inches in width, with additional infrastructure like power plants, water treatment plants, water impoundments/ponds, storage facilities, CNG (Compressed Gas) facilities, drill mud treatment facility, water withdrawal stations."
Fracking Truck and Tanker traffic - Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, USA
This video shows a long line of truck and tanker traffic on a rural road, that is waiting to access the fracking site.
Australian river on fire near a coal seam gas fracking site
For many years, there has been videos of American residents lighting tap water, claiming it was gas in the water caused by fracking. Apparently, this has been debunked, and that methane can occur in water naturally. However, an Australian Green Party politician filmed Condamine River, in Queensland, that was on fire, that he claimed was caused by coal seam gas fracking, that was taking place just 1 km away. Methane gas was bubbling up through the water, which he had lit. Not sure whether this was natural or was caused by the fracking, but have you ever seen a river on fire like this before?!
Fracking air pollution
This video was filmed, at 2am, by a resident of a 'densely populated' area, near a fracking site in Texas. He is concerned about a loud industrial generator polluting the area with intoxicating diesel exhaust and says it has been going on 24/7 for months. He has also experienced other strong smells including a flammable smelling VOC along with a rotten egg odour.
Fracking dust
This video shows sand dust at a fracking site The person who filmed video claims the property 200 ft away from the fracking site was covered in sand. (Sand is used with water as part of the hydraulic fracturing process).
Fracking tremors in the Netherlands
One of the greatest concerns about fracking is the potential for minor earth tremors. This video shows a tremor that was caught on CCTV of a supermarket, near the city of Groningen in the Netherlands, and damage to buildings as a result of the minor earth tremors.