Student Post: Hydraulic Fracturing, the EPA, and Our Desire for More "Friendly" Oil

There is no question that hydraulic fracturing is currently the best, or most efficient method to extract a larger percentage of oil and gas not only in "tight" formations that make the ordinary method of extraction futile, but fracing allows for less surface wells littering the landscape of our nation and arguably limits the amount of surface pollution that comes with drilling for oil and gas. However, how do we as a nation balance oil extraction with environmental protection without putting the oil industry at a standstill and without negatively affecting our environment at a rate in which it becomes irreparable.  

 

Fracing is a process in which the well operator drills vertically for a distance, but then can turn the drill bit and drill horizontally to tap into the more productive areas of the formation. The process also calls for a fluid to be pumped down the well, creating pressure and opening up fissures to allow the oil and gas to flow through. A mixture, called proppants, is then pumped in to keep these fissures open. 

 

The public and the EPA have been concerned with the negative impacts that fracing may cause, not only to underground aquifers and wells, but to some extent the air as well.  The slurry that is used in hydraulic fracturing is mainly composed of water, but can also contain chemicals and radioactive sand. The exact composition of the slurry depends on the geological formation that has been drilled into. If the oil companies were unable to inject these fluids into the ground, a high percentage of oil and gas would be unattainable at an affordable price. At the same time, this slurry needs to be disposed of at some point during the process and that disposal creates concern over how much negative impact it carries with it. 

 

Despite the public outcry that their drinking water is becoming contaminated, the EPA has largely left the decision of whether or not to allow fracing in a particular area up to that state. There has been some evidence that hydraulic fracturing and the disposal of waste water that has been used throughout the process can contaminate wells and pollute the air, but apparently not enough correlation between the two to have the EPA step in and regulate the process.

 

The reason for the lack of regulation may in large part be due to our nation's continued effort to reduce our importation of oil from countries with unstable governments and tense relations with the US. If we as a nation want to harvest as much oil and gas in house as possible then hydraulic fracturing appears to be the method through which we can accomplish that goal (at least with the current technology available). That being said, the EPA does need to study this issue with greater urgency. The oil boom in western North Dakota does not show signs of slowing down and the effect from hydraulic fracturing may not be known until it is too late to save our quality of life. In the end there is a balance between greater oil and gas production at a cheaper rate and the health and well-being of the public and the earth that we inhabit. It will be interesting to see whether or not hydraulic fracturing has as much of a negative impact as some claim, or if the oil companies are actually able to prevent the pollution of our other natural and essential resources.