What the Frack?

When I visited Pakistan for vacation, I was stupid and thought that because I was born there, that drinking the water wouldn’t do any harm to my body. I moved to America when I was three, so my immune system is used to the water that I’ve been drinking over here and because of this reason, the pathogens in the water from Pakistan were foreign to my immune system. My family in Pakistan has adapted to the water supply and can drink it without problems. After coming back from vacation, I eventually got the Hepatitis A virus and it was the worst experience of my life. Every meal that I ate, I threw up and I had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days to be treated. A pathogen that arises from unpurified water is deadly. Many travelers, such as myself, have suffered from catching a virus from water that’s not free of toxins. This past experience of mine relates to the current issue of fracking. There are many arguments made for fracking, such as more jobs, less pollution as fuel, which leads to less greenhouse gases being admitted into the atmosphere, and the US becoming more energy independent. The arguments made against fracking is that companies who operate the fracking site, generally do not have to disclose the chemicals they use, which can cause the residents living near fracking sites to be subject to ground water contamination. Many of these arguments made for and against fracking are touched upon in Samantha-Rae Tuthill’s online article “Understanding Fracking: Arguments for and Against Natural Gas Extraction”.

There is no doubt that global warming is happening. Pollution that emits greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere traps heat in the ozone layer causing our planet to warm up. As a result, the melting of ice caps will cause many islands cease to exist as sea levels continue to rise. The main human activity that releases carbon dioxide is the burning of fossil fuels, such as natural gas and oil. The constant combustion of fossil fuels has led to climate change, and even major catastrophic events, like typhoons, and other natural disasters. Tuthill says, “Leaders in the gas industry tout the benefits of natural gas over other energy sources, such as coal, for its ability to burn cleaner. The increase in the natural gas industry has also had a positive role in economic growth” (1). By switching over to a different fuel source, it has helped lower carbon emissions. As the US becomes more energy independent, we as a country will rely less on other countries, and feel more patriotic knowing it’s from here. Being an oil dependent nation is a bad thing as countries will try to take advantage over us by having a competitive edge. If we’re able to find a new energy source it will allow a transition period to even cleaner energy and a greener environment. This phase will eventually spawn new technology in the auto industry and trigger competition at fuel stations, as the demand of oil will go down. These are the two things that I look forward to in the future as technology advances. Though the arguments for fracking are there and very convincing, there’s the other side of the coin, which deals with how fracking can contaminate water.

Just as many of us who don’t care what happens to the indigenous people who live in islands that will soon cease to exist, it doesn’t seem to shock me that the companies who probably wouldn’t drink the water near the fracking sites that they own, don’t care about the residents who live near that area. Tuthill asserts, “Some environmental regulations have exceptions that fracking practices do not have to follow. The Clean Water Act, for example, excludes the permits required for stormwater discharge from oil and gas construction activities that other companies have to abide by. The Safe Drinking Water Act regulates the injection of materials into the ground, but excludes those related to hydraulic fracking, so long as diesel fuel is not used” (1). If the companies don’t drink the water that is near their fracking sites, they shouldn’t be allowed to frack in the first place. Being a heartless, hedonist, is morally wrong.

After reading the arguments made from both sides, I side with the arguments made against fracking. It aggravates me that when The Clean Water Act is clearly being violated by fracking, why is it even allowed? If there aren’t any environmental regulations on it, people can get sick and crops and goods can be damaged. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the underdog and the “little guy” win. The Texas family that got health problems sued a fracking company that caused it and they won $3M. I hope that this will set a precedent and force companies to follow regulations. Many people are afraid to even live near sites that endanger their wellbeing. Just as the indigenous people on the islands, these residents have the right to live there and shouldn’t be forced to move because of selfish acts made by certain people. #write4good#iam4 #WTF