Before we get to what is fracking, we need to understand what shale is and how it’s being tapped into for fracking. Shale is a classic sedimentary rock that forms almost 70% of the Earth’s crust. It exists everywhere where there’s water or where water once flowed. It is mostly made up of mud and clay, and also contains calcite, quartz, carbonate, pyrite and other chemicals. Shale rock has a lot of commercial uses such as making cement, bricks, pottery and tiles. Some shale rocks (aka oil shale) also contain kerogen – a type of hydrocarbon that forms from deceased plants and animals. This caught the fancy of the oil and gas industry and has been widely used for extracting oil and natural gas.
What is fracking?
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is the process of using high amounts of water, sand and chemicals (mostly toxic) to create a frack fluid. This fluid is injected into the ground to break shale rocks and extract the oil and gas trapped in its layers. Though this process was discovered in the early 1940s, its really talked about more since the last few years. Fracking technology has propelled US to the top of the charts for oil and gas production in 2018, outpacing Russia and Saudi Arabia. The best part about the technology is that it helps produce clean energy in the form of natural gas and is also growing in capacity. There is so much more to extract, to meet the ever-growing demands for alternate fuel.
How does fracking impact the environment?
There were several observations and instances in the past that point to the fact that not all is well. Fracking impacts the air quality and also poses a threat to our water bodies. Besides that, it uses enormous amounts of water – a resource already so scarce. Here we look at how fracking impacts the environment:
Air quality
Methane is one of the major pollutants released during the process. According to a report, the US oil and gas industry emits 13 million metric tons of methane annually, for a 2.3% leak rate. Methane is a major greenhouse gas, that is 84 times as harmful as carbon dioxide on a 20-year horizon. Wastewater from the process is stored in large evaporation pits so that the volatile gasses evaporate under normal atmospheric pressure. This has several times resulted in Ozone pollution for instance, in Wyoming and Utah. Lax regulations result in most of the leftover solid waste be treated like any other solid waste. Several times, frack fluid also contains radioactive materials that are occur naturally in the Earth’s crust.
Water levels and contamination
Fracking uses billions of gallons of water every year. That means, the amount of fresh water available for local residents will reduce drastically. Water is transported from distant places in areas with water scarcity. This further impacts the overall availability of water in lakes and rivers. Another major threat is water contamination. The frack fluid may sometimes leak back into local water supplies and also contaminate the ground water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported about 151 spills in 2015, 13 of which also contaminated the surface water.
Health
Residents who live near the fracking sites have often complained of health problems like eye irritation, nausea, respiratory problems and headaches. This often gives rise to added healthcare costs, and low productivity due to workplace absenteeism.
Impact on public infrastructure
Fracking also strains the public infrastructure. The road damage by transportation trucks in a single fracking site equals the damage caused by 3.5 million cars. In 2010, Texas had to approve a $40 million fund to repair the damaged roads in the Barnett Shale region. These additional costs may fall on the taxpayers.
Human and the Climate 