WHAT ’ S WRONG WITH FRACKING ?
According to the EPA , between 70 and 140 billion gallons of water were used for fracking in 2011 . When isolated as a single statistic , this sounds rather daunting : That is a lot of water used that can ’ t be reused . However , when you compare it to how many gallons of water are used to water American lawns each year , the water used for fracking looks like a drop in the bucket .
Argument # 5 : Fracking causes earthquakes . There has been a lot of talk lately that fracking causes earthquakes . This argument has escalated from claiming it causes small earthquakes ( around magnitude 2 ) to claiming it causes Hollywood movie style cataclysmic earthquake events . The problem with this argument is that it does contain some truth . However , fracking won ’ t likely be the cause of “ the big one .”
According to the USGS , fracking can cause “ extremely small earthquakes , but they are almost always too small to be a safety concern .” However , the salt water and fracking fluids that are returned to the earth ’ s surface after drilling is often disposed of by injecting it into very deep wells . When this material is injected into the Earth ’ s subsurface , it “ can cause earthquakes that are large enough to be felt and may cause damage .”
It is interesting to note here , though , that hydro-power – the sustainable energy that is regarded as “ ecofriendly ” – has actually been the documented cause of earthquakes ; in fact , the hydroelectric Koyna Dam in India caused a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that killed 180 people and left thousands homeless in 1967 . Similarly , in 2008 , the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that destroyed the Sichuan province in China is believed to have been caused by the hydroelectric Zipingpu Dam . Geothermal energy and carbon sequestration are also often cited as culprits .
No matter what type of energy we use , there will always be someone protesting it : People have their own opinions , and issues like this tend to be very emotionally charged , which can result in the lines of truth becoming blurred .
The bottom line here is that while fracking may not be perfect , it is not the villain that anti-fracking advocates portray it to be . Just like any other form of energy , there are benefits and there are potential harms .
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