Fracking and Tar Sands
The objective of this study is to examine the issues of fracking or hydraulic fracturing and tar sands or oil sands.

Fracking is described as "the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside." (Dangers of Fracking, 2015, p. 1)

The Debate

There is a great debate that is ongoing concerning the process of fracking and specifically reported on one side of the debate in Bloomberg View is that "Fracking Water is Shaking Oklahoma" (2015, p. 1) The report states that Oklahoma "had 585 earthquakes with a magnitude 3.0 or greater (big enough for people to easily feel) -- almost three times as many as California had and up from an average of just two a year before 2009. Not coincidentally, that's when oil and gas drillers began injecting wastewater from fracking operations into…...

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References

Fracking (2015) Food and Water Watch: Retrieved from:  http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/fracking/ 

Fracking Water is Shaking Oklahoma (2015) Bloomberg View. Retrieved from:  http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-02-23/why-fracking-is-shaking-the-heartland 

Fracking: What is it? (2015) Dangers of Fracking. Retrieved from: http://www.dangersoffracking.com/

Fracking and Water Quality Ethics Literature eview
What is Fracking?

Fracking is used to extract natural gas from shale layers located deep in the ground. The impermeability of the shale layers leads to the gas being trapped. The rocks are blasted with pressurized water that contain sand and chemicals capable of increasing friction between the rocks and water. However, the percentage of the fluid consisting of the chemicals is very small. Some of the chemicals, for instance ethylene glycol, are poisonous, while other components are 'trade secrets'. The sand contained in the pressurized solution helps in cracking the rocks so that they release the gas (Schrope, 2012).

A lot of controversy has been generated by the increase in the sources of natural gas and oil obtained through the use of hydraulic fracturing. Those in support make the argument that fracking has the capacity to speed up growth in the economy, increase the energy…...

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References

Boudet, H. et al., 2013. "Fracking" controversy and communication: Using national survey. Energy Policy.

Brasier, K. Fillteau, M.; McLaughlin, D.; Jacquet, J.; Stedman, R.; Kelsey, T.; Goetz, S. 2011. Residents' perceptions of community and environmental impacts from development of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale: a comparison of Pennsylvania and New York cases. J. Rural Social Sci, Volume 26, p. 32-61.

Considine, T., Watson, R. & Blumsack, S., 2010. The Economic Impacts of the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Play: An Update, University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering.

EPA (2010). United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2010. Plan to Study the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources, Washington, D.C.: s.n.

Hydraulic fracking of gas and oil wells in the northeast region of the United States is controversial, and it has the potential to create devastating and long lasting environmental damage and human health problems.
How this part of the country been affected by fracking

Industrial gas exploration including horizontal exploration using high-volume fracking, results in significant adverse effects. These effects are an outcome of activities like;

changes in usage of land road building water distributions inappropriate cementing covering of water wells over-pressurized water wells gas migration from new and unfinished water wells waste water treatment plants that have lost the ability to treat flow back and produce water;

subterranean injection of brine wastewater inappropriate sediment and erosion controls;

truck traffic;

air compressor stations, and accidents and leaks

Recently, state authorities have discovered that gas exploration using high-volume gas fracturing has polluted drinking water, contaminated surface waters, contaminated air, and polluted soils. They discovered that inadequate well covering…...

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Works Cited

Hidden Costs of Energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press, 2010. Print.

Delaney, Tim, and Tim Madigan. Beyond Sustainability: A Thriving Environment., 2014. Print.

Ferrer, Imma, and EM. Thurman. Advanced Techniques in Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (gc-Ms-Ms and Gc-Tof-Ms) for Environmental Chemistry., 2013. Internet resource.

Hilyard, Joseph. The Oil & Gas Industry: A Nontechnical Guide. Tulsa, Okla: PennWell, 2012. Print.

Fracking
hile "fracking" (hydraulic fracturing) certainly poses some major economic and industrial benefits for America (described by Seamus as the Saudi Arabia of natural gas), the practice still poses a number of questions as well as potential threats to both the environment and the health of humanity. The question that advocates of fracking would prefer persons to ask is whether or not this is a viable alternative to oil consumption -- a fair question. Yet, reasonably concerned individuals should not be afraid to ask at what cost fracking will come to Americans -- as well as others around the world should the practice become more popular in coming years. The cost-benefit ratio is complicated in the case of fracking by the lack of scientific studies performed that could address some of the more pressing questions regarding the practice -- such as, what happens to the chemicals shot into the earth…...

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Works Cited

Banerjee, Neela. "Natural Gas Production Contaminated Drinking Water in Texas, Study

Finds. Los Angeles Times, 2014. Web.  http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-gas-wells-drinking-water-contamination-20140915-story.html 

Bateman, Christopher. "A Colossal Fracking Mess." Vanity Fair, 2010. Web.

 http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/06/fracking-in-pennsylvania-201006

Hydrofracking NY
What is hydrofracking?

To those who support the idea, hydrofracking is the next (and possibly only) real alternative to the U.S.'s continued dependence on the world's oil supply (Energy Vision, n.d:1). To those who doubt the viability of this claim -- or to those who worry about the accuracy about what is being claimed -- hydrofracking is really more the setting up of the next great asbestos industry -- or the establishment of an endless serious of public health and benefit legal fights over what is likely a dangerous or even deadly misstatement of opportunities (Pericorn, et al., 2012).

Hydrofracking is the pressurized use of liquid (mostly water) within the horizontal drilling sites of natural gas fields to help separate and force out the captured reserves of the gases for refinement. A contemporary White Paper produced by Energy Vision defines it as: "High-volume hydraulic fracturing, or "Hydrofracking," is a method of…...

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REFERENCES

Energy Vision (n.d.). Hydrofracking: The need for responsible gas drilling regulation and the role of natural gas. White Paper. Viewable at  http://www.energy-vision.org/pdf/HydrofrackingFactSheet3.pdf .

Lee, C. et al. (2011). An Assessment of the Potential Impacts of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF) on Forest Resources. Tioga County, NY. Nature Conservancy.

Nature Conservancy (2012). New York: Marcellus Shale 101. Viewable at  http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/newyork/placesweprotect/newyorkcity/ny1-marcellus-shale-101.xml .

Pernicorn, C.J. Naughton, M.J. And Reich, S. (2012). Legal implications of hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale. Prelimiary Insight: Toxic Torts and Environmental Law. In-Home Quarterly, DRI.

Fracking and Ethics Introduction
While “fracking”—the term applied to the practice of hydraulic fracturing of rock to gain access to the oil or gas underground—has been hailed as a revolutionary way for the oil industry to draw oil from previously hard to reach places, there are a variety of ethical issues surrounding the practice (Evensen & Stedman, 2018). Stakeholders in the issue of fracking go beyond those in the oil/gas industry, however. They include people in communities, whose water supply has been contaminated as a result of fracking. They include people whose lives have been changed by fracking due to the opportunity to invest in companies engaged in this practice. They include the workers and employees who are given jobs because of the new opportunities that fracking provides. Thus any position for or against fracking will impact all these stakeholders in different ways. Some believe fracking is the way of the future.…...

1. Executive summary
While the extraction of natural gas by means of hydraulic fracturing is a decade- long practice, of late, it has witnessed immense development owing to advancements in the area of horizontal drilling which enables gas and oil operators to now harness earlier- unprofitable natural gas reserves within rock formations. Extant extraction- related policies combine state-federal alliances and voluntary endeavors by private organizations. More unprejudiced, scientific studies providing details on how fracturing and extraction potentially affect environmental media like water and air are essential, in addition to those focusing on natural gas surges’ long- term effects on local societies. Primary models and hypotheses may offer a basis to reasonably discuss possible effects.

Maintenance of the current state of affairs with regard to free market rules and governmental policies will potentially continually check short- run public expenses; however, it will not contribute sufficiently to furthering response to concerns regarding about hydraulic…...

Balancing the Needs of Today and Tomorrow: The Ethics and Philosophy of the Fracking IndustryIntroductionFracking, or hydraulic fracturing, has become an integral part of the global energy landscape. This process has allowed for the extraction of oil and gas from previously inaccessible resources, leading to economic growth and improved energy security. However, the fracking industry is not without its ethical and philosophical dilemmas. The central question at the heart of this issue is how to balance the lives and needs of today\\\'s people who benefit from the fracking industry with the lives and needs of future generations.Temporal Proximity and Moral ConcernThe ethics of temporal proximity involve the moral weight we place on individuals and generations based on their proximity to us in time. Parfit (1984) discusses this idea in the context of obligations to future generations, arguing that we should not discount their well-being simply because they are temporally distant.…...

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ReferencesAristotle. (350 B.C.). Nicomachean Ethics. (W.D. Ross, Trans.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Dewey, J. (1927). The Public and its Problems. New York: Henry Holt and Company.Gilligan, C. (1982). In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Howarth, R. W., Ingraffea, A., & Engelder, T. (2011). Natural gas: Should fracking stop? Nature, 477(7364), 271-275.Jacobson, M. Z., Delucchi, M. A., Cameron, M. A., & Frew, B. A. (2015). 100% clean and renewable wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) all-sector energy roadmaps for the 50 United States. Energy & Environmental Science, 8(7), 2093-2117.Mill, J. S. (1863). Utilitarianism. London: Parker, Son, and Bourn.Nagel, T. (1970). The Possibility of Altruism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Parfit, D. (1984). Reasons and Persons. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Rawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Singer, P. (1972). Famine, Affluence, and Morality. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 1(3), 229-243.Stevens, P. (2012). The \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'Shale Gas Revolution\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\': Developments and Changes. Chatham House, Briefing Paper EERG BP 2012/04.

Regulating Oil and Gas Drilling and Transport
The American economy runs on energy produced from oil, coal, natural gas, hydroelectric power, nuclear power and renewable sources like solar and wind energies. In fact according to a report in the Congressional Research Service, oil provides the United States with 40% of its total energy needs. It is used in myriad ways, providing "…fuel for the transportation, industrial, and residential sectors" (Ramseur, 2012). Because of the great need for energy to fuel the American economy, oil in "vast quantities" enters the country and moves through the country by ships and by pipelines, Ramseur explains in the Congressional Research Service. Hence, it is inevitable that some spills will occur, and they certainly do occur, notwithstanding the attempts by the industry to conduct its business safely.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that the U.S. consumed 6.87 billion barrels (about 18.83 million barrels a day)…...

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Works Cited

American Petroleum Institute. (2012). Energy Security. Retrieved February 15, 2013, from http://www.api.org.

Barkham, Patrick. (2010).Oil spills: Legacy of the Torrey Canyon. The Guardian. Retrieved February 14, 2013, from  http://www.guardian.co.uk .

Griffin, Catherine. (2013). European Satellite Confirms Arctic Ocean is on Thin Ice, Global

Warming Strikes Again. Science World Report. Retrieved February 15, 2013, from  http://www.scienceworldreport.com .

Groundwater
"Water is starting to become an issue" in Harper County, Kansas, where groundwater reserves are running dry (Vaidyanathan and Gilmer, 2012). Low rates of precipitation, coupled with diversion of groundwater to the oil industry, are threatening to diminish available water used for farming and domestic use. Therefore, it is important to understand the nature of groundwater in Harper County, Kansas and the flow rate of pumps in order to prepare for the future.

Harper County is in south-central Kansas, and abuts Oklahoma. The county "lies partly in the Wellington Lowland minor division of the Arkansas iver Lowland section of the Central Lowland province and partly in the ed Hills minor division of the Dissected High Plains section of the Great Plains province," (Kansas Geological Survey Bulletin, 1960). More recent geological surveys divide Harper County into six main areas: the Upland area, the Bluff Creek area (with Pleistocene deposits), the Big Sandy…...

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References

Barlow, Paul M. And Leake, Stanley A. 2012. Streamflow Depletion by Wells -- Understanding and Managing the Effects of Groundwater Pumping on Streamflow. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved online:  http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1376/pdf/circ1376_barlow_report_508.pdf 

Ellis, Blake. Water grab in Kansas oil boom. CNN Money. 12 June 2012. Retrieved online:  http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/12/pf/kansas-water-america-boomtown/index.htm 

Kansas Geological Survey Bulletin, 1960. Geology of groundwater resources of Harper County, Kansas. Retrieved online:  http://www.kgs.ku.edu/General/Geology/Harper/index.html 

Kansas Geological Survey, 2005. Retrieved online:  http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/Bulletins/ED10/04_occur.html

Hydraulic fracturing can be compared and contrasted in sharply different manners; rhetoric on both sides can go over the edge, and oftentimes such extreme rhetoric ensures that any type of sane or rational discussion is rendered virtually impossible. Opponents have gone so far as to call hydraulic fracturing an "abnormally dangerous activity" (inaldi, 2015, p. 388) while proponents often argue that additional "EPA controls would cause energy prices to skyrocket, slow the development of natural-gas fields, and block enormous economic benefits" (Hobson, 2009, p. 19).
Both sides of the issue seem to make strong points in order to support their positions. Few and far between are the calls for objective and trustworthy research such as the one in America (the magazine) that asks for opponents and proponents to at least agree on the fact that the science behind fracking should take into effect the complexity of the situation as well as…...

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References

Christopherson, S. & Rightor, N.; (2012) How shale gas extraction affects drilling localities: Lessons for regional and city policy makers, Journal of Town and City

Management, 2(4) p. 350-368.

Environmental Protection Agency (2010) Scoping materials for initial design of EPA

research study on potential relationships between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources, accessed on December 7, 2015 at:

Business hetoric: Drilling in the Marcellus Shale
and Environmental Politics

Inexpensive energy sources are a requirement if the country is going to continue to thrive the way it has for more than 200 years. The United States is trying to decrease the amount of fossil fuels that it uses in everyday applications. However, the worry is not the fuels themselves, but the costs associated with the fuels. Fossil fuels are a viable resource if they are clean and extracted from the earth in ways that can be shown to be environmentally friendly. Because of these requirements, natural gas has become one of the new class of fuels that is thought of as superior to producing products from crude oil.

Natural gas is a clean energy source that can be extracted more safely than other sources of gas. Another bonus is that the product is very plentiful in the United States. More than any…...

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References

American Petroleum Institute (API). (2010). Hydraulic fracturing: Unlocking America's natural gas resources. American Petroleum Institute.

Brown, V.J. (2007). Putting the heat on gas. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115(2), 76-77.

Chambers, A.J. (2007). Report of the international energy transactions committee. Energy Law Journal, 30(1), 207-217.

City of New York. (2010). Natural gas drilling overview. Retrieved from http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/news/natural_gas_drilling_overview.shtml

Letter to the Newspaper
Our community faces a public health crisis of unprecedented proportions. My research leads me to believe that the cluster of unexplained illnesses that the people of this town have experienced over the years are the direct result of gas company drilling practices.

It started out with what we all assumed were just unrelated illnesses: irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. These may sound like allergies, but no. For the really unfortunate folks in our community, more severe symptoms showed up, like hypotension, metabolic acidosis, hemolysis, pulmonary edema and even coma, even rare and deadly diseases. But here is the zinger: we have too many cases of these illnesses for a community our size, far too many.

I became concerned after a chance remark by the school nurse about the number of children who apparently suffered from allergies, but whose symptoms did not respond to the usual allergy treatments.…...

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Works Cited

Cernansky, R. (2009, October 15). Natural gas drilling harms eyes, causes tumors, destroys air: The ugly truth behind the 'natural' energy source. Planetgreen.com. Retrieved October 2, 2011 from:  http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/gas-drilling-harms-eyes.html 

Hurdle, J. (2009, August 27). U.S. finds water polluted near gas-drilling sites. Reuters. Retrieved October 2, 2011 from:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/08/27/idUSN27311701 

Junkins, C. (2010, December 19). What's in the water?: Fracking chemicals under microscope. The Intelligencer Wheeling News-Register. Retrieved October 2, 2011 from:  http://theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/549992/What-s-In-The-Water-Fracking-Chemicals-Under-Microscope.html?nav=515 

Kimball, J. (2011, April 17). Congress releases report on toxic chemicals used in fracking. 8020 Vision. Retrieved October 2, 2011 from:  http://8020vision.com/2011/04/17/congress-releases-report-on-toxic-chemicals-used-in-fracking/

Psychology: Environmental Problems
Facing its worst drought in 40 years, the State of California took a number of measures to conserve water. It first used positive consequences to compel a 20% reduction in water usage by homes and businesses. The disappointing results led to the addition of negative consequences to compel conservation. In addition, California is now taking emergency measures against the oil and gas industry, which was previously exempt from some of the State's environmental laws. California has shown that an environmental policy must use positive and negative consequences, along with carefully given exemptions, in order to be most effective.

ater Control During Drought

Evaluate 2 Strategies for Promoting Positive Environmental Behavior

The State of California is currently enduring a 3-year drought that is its worst in 40 years and is expected to continue for the foreseeable future (Associated Press, 2014). Californians continued to use water with too little regard for the drought…...

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Works Cited

Associated Press. (2014, July 16). California seeks to send message to water-wasters. Retrieved July 19, 2014 from sacramento.cbslocal.com Web site:  http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/07/16/california-seeks-to-send-message-to-water-wasters/ 

Lustgarten, A. (2014, July 18). California halts injection of fracking waste, warning it may be contaminating aquifers. Retrieved July 19, 2014 from www.propublica.org Web site:  http://www.propublica.org/article/ca-halts-injection-fracking-waste-warning-may-be-contaminating-aquifers 

McCarty, J.A., & Shrum, L.J. (Spring 2001). The influence of individualism, collectivism, and locus of control on environmental beliefs and behaviors. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 20(1), 93-104.

State of California. (2014). California drought. Retrieved July 19, 2014 from ca.gov Web site:  http://ca.gov/drought/

Waste and Energy Presentation
The first waste product is organic food waste. This ends up in landfills, and there are a number of negative outcomes. Food waste releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Landfills are 20% of all methane emissions in the United States. Further, organic food waste is material that could be composted, but usually is not, representing a lost opportunity to create valuable compost for growing food. In addition, prior to making its way to the landfill, food waste is often stored in back alleys and in garbage cans, where it attracts rodents and other vermin (EPA, 2015).

Nuclear waste is a by-product of nuclear energy production. Nuclear waste comes in a number of categories, but it generally must be treated before it is deposited, and usually it must be turned to glass, stored in ceramics and then buried deep in the earth. Nuclear wastes have a long half-life, and…...

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References

EPA.gov (2015). The food recovery hierarchy. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved June 1, 2015 from  http://www.epa.gov/foodrecovery/ 

Tollefson, J. (2015). U.S. government seeks sites for nuclear waste storage. Nature. Retrieved June 1, 2015 from  http://www.nature.com/news/us-government-seeks-sites-for-nuclear-waste-storage-1.17183 

Greenpeace (2014). Coal impacts on water. Greenpeace. Retrieved June 1, 2015 from  http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/coal/Water-impacts/ 

SourceWatch (2015). Fracking and water pollution. SourchWatch.org. Retrieved June 1, 2015 from  http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fracking_and_water_pollution

Oil and gas well development using hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is a somewhat controversial way to get petroleum products out of the ground.  It has greatly increased the amount of accessible petroleum products that people can get from the ground, but comes with environmental concerns.  The two major environmental concerns seem to the increased potential for groundwater pollution and the increase in the likelihood of earthquakes in the area where the fracking is occurring.  Because these concerns are so well-known, we would address them in any research we did about hydraulic fracturing. 

Research Topics on Hydraulic Fracturing

1. What fluids work....

I. Introduction
A. Define fossil fuels and discuss their geological origins
B. State the thesis statement: The impacts of fossil fuel consumption on environmental and societal well-being are multifaceted and profound.

II. Environmental Impacts of Fossil Fuel Consumption
A. Air pollution:
1. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global warming
2. Particulate matter and respiratory problems
3. Acid rain and ecosystem damage
B. Water pollution:
1. Oil spills and marine ecosystems
2. Coal mining and water contamination
3. Fracking and groundwater depletion
C. Land degradation:
1. Deforestation for fuel extraction
2. Mining scars and habitat loss
3. Agricultural impacts of climate change

III. Societal Impacts of Fossil Fuel Consumption
A. Energy security:
1. Dependence on foreign imports
2. Geopolitical conflicts....

Yes, there are several essay topics that present opposing viewpoints on environmental issues. Some examples include:

1. Should nuclear power be considered a renewable energy source?
2. Is genetically modified food beneficial or harmful to the environment?
3. Is fracking a necessary method for obtaining natural gas, or does it pose too many environmental risks?
4. Should wildlife conservation efforts prioritize protecting endangered species, or focus on preserving habitats and ecosystems?
5. Is climate change primarily caused by human activities, or is it a natural phenomenon that is beyond our control?
6. Should carbon taxes be implemented to combat climate change, or are there more effective....