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Transcription
Fracking is the process of extracting natural oils and gas from the Eagle Ford show, a 400-mile rock formation in Texas. It involves injecting water, sand, and chemicals into wells at high pressure to release the resources. However, fracking has negative impacts on the environment, including the release of greenhouse gases and the depletion of water supplies. There are also concerns about the disposal of used fracking water and the triggering of seismic activities. Despite these issues, fracking is necessary for accessing oil and gas, which the US heavily relies on. There are ways to make the process cleaner, such as using recycled water and reducing methane leaks. Fracking disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color, causing health and environmental problems. It also disrupts plant and animal habitats and harms agricultural land. Fracking in the Eagle Ford Shale is regulated by the state, but many companies are involved. Overall, it is important to addre Hello and welcome to our special edition podcast for the frack. I'm Kai Bell, your host for today. In this episode, we will be interviewing Izzy Jackson about fracking, specifically in the Eagle Ford show. Now, if you don't know what fracking is, that's okay, we will get into it. So, Izzy, do you want to introduce yourself? Yes, I'm a scientist with extensive knowledge on the topic of fracking, specifically in the Eagle Ford show. Great. So first, let me give you all some background information of what exactly the Eagle Ford show is. First, we started in 2008, which is almost how long I've been informed for. It is a 400 mile long natural rock formation beneath the ground, which extends into over 26 counties in Texas. Crazy. This show contains natural oils and gas that we extract through a process called hydraulic fracking, or just fracking. This is a very controversial topic because fracking also has a lot of negative impacts on the environment, which we will get into later. So, Izzy, what exactly is fracking? Well, the process of fracking requires a few steps, but it begins with a well that is drilled down through layers of sediments. Then, a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals known as fracking fluid is injected into the well at a very high pressure. This causes cracks in the rock formations, allowing the gas and oil to be freed. Now that we know some background on fracking, we can explore how this process presents significant challenges to the environment. One major concern is that it releases greenhouse gases such as methane along with other toxic air pollutants. That's right, Izzy? Yep. Additionally, it's also estimated that 36 million gallons of water are used per well due to all the pumping and flushing. Wow, this doesn't actually seem like a lot compared to what we use for agriculture and power plants. It can have a large impact on local water supplies. Izzy, are there any other environmental issues caused by fracking? Unfortunately, yes. Another pressing issue revolves around the disposal of used fracking water. During the process of extracting oil and gas, a liquid with contaminants like heavy metals, salts, and even radioactive materials also comes up, and it's important to dispose of this correctly. These wells are typically encased in cement and steel to prevent any leakage or mingling of this hazardous liquid with groundwater. However, should anything go wrong in this process, the consequences for the surrounding environment could be disastrous. In addition to this, research conducted by geophysicists at Stanford reveals a problem due to this process. Fracking in the Eagle Forge Shale has been responsible for triggering seismic activities, and showing Texas is home to some of the most substantial earthquakes in the country. What the f**k? So, if fracking is so bad for the environment, why do we even do it? Well, fracking allows us access to natural oil and gas that would otherwise be unreachable. So it would be difficult to just get rid of fracking altogether, especially since the US relies heavily on fracking for oil and gas. It's hard to know the exact percentage, but it's estimated that around two-thirds of both natural gas and oil in the US come from fracking. But there are some ways to make it a cleaner process for the environment. Yes, Izzy and I were talking about this before the podcast started, but here are some examples of how we could make it a cleaner process. One example would be using recycled water or slightly dirty water instead of fresh water to conserve and not waste clean water. Another thing would be reducing methane leaks, and there's a variety of ways to help prevent that and make it less common. And who controls the production of fracking in Eagle Ford? Well, fracking is controlled at the state level, and the Railroad Commission is a state agency that regulates the exploration, production, and transportation of oil and natural gas in Texas. But many organizations have been involved in fracking in the Eagle Ford Shale. Some of the main companies are EOG Resources, Chesapeake Energy, Marathon Oil, and many more. So, now that we've talked about what fracking is and what impact it has on the environment, we're finally going to talk about how fracking disproportionately impacts certain communities. Yeah, so there have been studies suggesting that fracking unfortunately does disproportionately impact more low-income neighborhoods and communities of color because these wells tend to be closer to those areas. These communities usually have to deal with the health and environmental issues that come with fracking, like water and air pollution, noise, and more traffic. Yes, these communities need to be protected and should have a say in the location of these wells. And not only does fracking impact the people and communities near it, but it's also very disruptive to the plants and animals. Fracking has destroyed a lot of plant and animal habitats and has caused migratory disruptions. Yeah, and as we talked about earlier, fracking wastewater can spill, and this has a major effect on the plants around it. It injects toxic compounds and other chemicals into the ground that can poison the soil and make the land less fertile. This also makes it a lot harder for farmers with land near these wells. Thank you, Izzy, for giving us some information on fracking in the Eagle Ford Shale. I hope that viewers listen to this and want to make an impact on fracking in the environment worldwide. And thank you for listening to our special edition podcast, What's a Frack? What's a Frack?
