With information from Jacob Friedman

 Hydraulic Fracturing AKA Hydrofracking  High-pressure water mixed with chemicals and sand are injected into wells to extract natural gas  Creates fractures in rocks that allow oil and natural gas to escape and flow out of the well.  Horizontal drilling allows ▪ 16 acres *  Make cracks in shale rock to free gas ▪ Gas flows to surface ▪ 70% of water returns as waste

 Obtain oil and natural gas in places where conventional practices were ineffective or cost- prohibitive  Lower energy dependency  Creates jobs  Stimulate local economies ▪ $2000 per US household ▪ 1.7 million jobs ▪ Rural areas get wealth  Help out of recession *

 Lower transportation costs/fossil fuel use  Natural gas  Efficient fossil fuel: 90% **  Low CO 2 emission  Less global climate change  110 years of energy in USA  2 lifetimes?

 Environmental impact  Definite  Indefinite  Social impact  Corporate negligence  Further environmental impact

 Dangerous Chemicals used and could enter the water table  Toxic, radioactive, and caustic liquid waste by- products pose storage, treatment and disposal problems.  No regulations or safeguards  Contaminated water  Air pollution  Destroy streams  Negative mpact on flora & fauna

 Land used for clearing, well pad, and storage pit  2-4 billion gallons of water  15-16,000 gallons chemicals ▪ Carcinogens, toxins, poisons (undisclosed)  Radioactive elements filtered & accumulated from wastewater

 Dispute over methane migration  Hundreds of feet below all aquifers  Studies find correlation between microbial methane in aquifers & distance to well ▪ No disclosure & bias = lack of reliable studies  Faulty cementing more likely

 Landowners w/o mineral rights must allow fracking access  Both parties must accommodate  Force pooling: 16 acres away  Industrialism of rural areas  Increase in heavy truck crashes in rural areas  Linked to increased STDs *  Landowners don’t know about fracking violations

 Wastewater filtered in licensed treatment plants  Common practice: wastewater evaporation pits ▪ Not reinforced or guarded ▪ Toxic materials can spill/release harmful chemicals  Faulty cement casing  Cracks can lead to aquifers  Not considered (by def) part of fracking

 2004 EPA study  Bush exempts fracking from Safe Water Drinking Act  No disclosure for fracking chemicals  Good for business  Lack of mineral rights = accommodate fracking companies  Force pooling  Fracking exploration in NC by Oct 2014

In the words of George Washington: “GOD BLESS THE USA!”