Summary
As the era of “Peak Oil” is being reached, many people are looking for alternative fuel supplies. One fuel is another fossil fuel called natural gas. Natural gas is located in multiple places, but a large reserve is found nearby in the Marcellus shale that extends from New York to Tennessee. But to obtain this gas, companies need to drill in local areas. A large debate is being held over whether the drilling should be allowed in the region. The anti-drilling argument is strongly against the use of the new drilling technique of hydraulic-fracturing, or “fracking.” The process requires sending mass quantities of water carrying hazardous chemicals into the ground, causing fractures in the shale so that the gas can be pumped up. A reason people do not want this to occur is because the chemicals could taint the local water supply, many of the chemicals may be left in the ground and spread unchecked. Also, no one knows to what extend the fractures spread, so more than just the shale could be cracked. Pro-drilling arguments center on stating that the other side of the debate has wrong facts. “Fracking” is actually safe and the drilling has been conducted for many years. Plus, the “fracking” occurs below the water table, so none of the water supply will be affected. Mostly, the pro-drilling argument holds up past examples and throws facts out to support the potentially new economic boom that would occur from the drilling.

Answers:
The main concerns for the anti-drilling group is that the hydraulic-fracturing drilling process will cause hazardous and irreversible environmental pollution to the water supply and bedrock foundations that are underneath people’s feet. Plus, they do not want harmful chemicals released into the earth in any amount, let along unregulated amounts.

The main concern for the pro-drilling group is that drilling in the region has been successfully accomplished for many years and hydraulic-fracturing has been deemed safe by the EPA. Plus, if the drilling is allowed it would be a great economic boost to New York and provide more financial security to the people in the region.

Questions:
1-Is there any way to pump the chemicals out and into a filter that will only attract the chemical residue found in the water used to collect the gas from the hydraulic-fracturing?
2-Has there been any research into a less hazardous form of drilling that could effectively recover the gas without the use of “fracking?”
3-Has there been any cases of the “fracking” causing sink holes from too many cracks in the underground rock foundation, and if so, what are the chances of more sink holes appearing and could they hurt the economy more than the gas profits?