NATIONAL

FRACKINGThe pros

and cons ofa new drilling

technique

FIGHT

You can't get water outof a stone," goes the oldsaying, and maybe you

can't. But it turns out that youcan get oil and natural gas outof stone. The United States nowimports about 45 percent of its oilfrom other countries. In the searchfor more domestic energy sources,U.S. energy companies are look-ing to extract oil and gas trappedthousands of feet below Earth'ssurface in shale, a type of rock.

The U.S. lies over morethan a dozen large shaleformations. The largestis the Marcellus Shale, amassive deposit 600 mileswide that sits 7,000 feetbelow parts of New York,Pennsylvania, Ohio, WestVirginia, Virginia, Maryland, andTennessee. It is thought to containan estimated 500 trillion cubic

WOROSTOKNOW

A rig drillsfot natural gas inMansfield, Texas.Inset: a fracking

protest

• aquifer [n j : an underground body

of rock that contains water

• lobbyist (n): a person seekingto influence public officials onparticular issues

I natural gas (n): a type of fossilfuel formed millions of yearsago from the remains of livingorganisms

I I I I I I I I M I I I M I I 1 I 1.1 n I I M M I 11 I'iJUNIOR SCHOLASTIC/APRIL I S , 2013

feet of natural gas, most of whichis untapped. Natural gas (CHJ isa colorless, odorless gas that canbe burned to generate electricityor heat buildings. Underneath theMarcellus Shale is the Utica Shale,which is thought to contain about940 million barrels of oil.

To get natural gas and oil fromshale, however, energy companiesmust use a controversial techniquecalled "hydraulic fracturing," orfracking, for short.

How does fracking work?First, workers drill a shaft straight

down into the shale formation(see diagram). Then they drillhorizontally into the shale andinject millions of gallons of water,chemicals, and sand into thestone. This causes the shale tofracture and break apart, freeingthe trapped oil and gas inside toescape up the well. The processalso creates millions of gallons ofwastewater. Sometimes the wateris collected and trucked awayto be purified. In other cases,workers inject the wastewater backunderground.

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A Chorus of CriticismToday fracking takes place

across the U.S., and energy com-panies hope to greatly expand thepractice. But their plans have runinto a growing chorus of criticism.Environmentalists say frackingshould be banned because it cancontaminate groundwater withchemicals. Groundwater providesdrinking water for millions ofAmericans. According to Pro-Publica, an investigative-journalismservice, more than 1,000 casesof water contamination linked tofracking were documented by U.S.courts and state and local govern-ments in 2008 alone.

"Fracking threatens the air webreathe, the water we drink, thecommunities we love, and theclimate on which we all depend,"Wenonah Hauter, president of Foodand Water Watch, tells JS. "Wecan't expect future generations toclean up our messes, which is whywe need to ban fracking now."Hauter thinks that the U.S. shouldfocus more on developing renew-able energy sources such as solarand wind power instead of frackingto obtain fossil fuels.

in Defense of FracicingFracking also has strong

defenders. "What do we stand to[lose] if fracking is outlawed?" asksGerry Galhoun a geologist in TheTennessean. "About 29 percent ofour electricity comes from naturalgas supplies. If we cut off thoseresources, we will have to importincreasing amounts of gas and oilat much higher prices."

Steve Herz, of New York's JointLandowners Coalition, maintainsthat fracking is safe. "Having visitedhundreds of well sites . . . andinterviewed officials in all 28 states

developing natural g a s , . . . webelieve fracking can be done safelyand responsibly," he tells JS.

President Barack Obamaexpressed his support of fracking ina speech in Las Vegas. "We have asupply of natural gas that can lastAmerica nearly a hundred years,"he said. "It could power our cars,our homes and our factories. . . .

Experts believe it could supportmore than 600,000 jobs."

However, it is up to state officialsto approve the use of fracking, notthe president. Lobbyists for bothsides are busy trying to influenceofficials to pass laws for or againstfracking. Which side prevails couldshape America's energy future.

—Charles Piddock

HOW HYDRAULiC FRACTURING WORKS

DRILLING LOCATION

O A drillbit on

the end of adrill pipebores a holeinto theground.

A wide pipe ISinserted into the hoie

Gas flows up theweii to the surface

Cement ispumped

around the pipeto prevent gasieaks fromcontaminatingundergroundwater sources.

PERFORATING AND FRACTURING

•-L SHALE

^CASING

The horizontal portionofthe well is drilled.A smalier-diameterpipe, called aproduction casing,is inserted.

PERFORATING GUN

A perforating guncontaining explosivecharges is insertedinto the casing. Itblasts smali holes Inthe shale.

Water, sand, andlubricants arepumped into the wellunder high pressure,forcing the shale tofracture, or break up:

•DIAGRAM IS SCHEMATIC, NOT TO SCALE.

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