Question

Discussion Case Chapter 10-"Fracking-Can its Environmental Impacts be Reduced?"

Using the classification system presented in this chapter, what type(s) of government regulation has (have) been used to address exactly what hydraulic fracturing, or fracking is, and what its costs and benefits are, and which do you think would be most effective?

Answer 1

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is the process of drilling into underground shale formations to extract oil and natural gas. Hydraulic fracking has brought the United States to the forefront when it comes to the production of energy. Fracking allows the country to be the leading producer of natural gas. Soon the U.S. will become the largest producer of natural gas. It will give the country an advantage to become self-sufficient for energy. It will create jobs, and a source of energy. The cost of hydraulic fracking is the harm it can cause the environment, which is still unknown and unregulated. It is contributing to air pollution, deforestation which affects wildlife habitat. It has a very high usage of water, and it pollutes the water with chemicals, radioactive substances, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds that are found deep in the earth’s surface.

The regulations that have been used and would be most effective in this situation would be the Clean Air Act along with the 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments and the 1990 Clean Act Amendments, which would protect against all the pollution and the gasses that are released from the hydraulic fracking. The issues with the water would fall under the Water Pollution Control Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987. These regulations would help with the problems associated with the disposal of the water and how to do it properly without it affect rivers, well, etc. The land pollution would be regulated by the Endangered Species Act. The deforestation and destroying the wildlife habitats to build drilling sites. The Hazardous Material Transport Act would be used when transporting the chemicals needed to use for the hydraulic fracking. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act used to regulate the disposal of backflow. The Toxic Control Act in case there is a spill of toxic chemicals. The last one would be the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act in case there are severe cases of pollution.