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Thomas Lynd
Dr. Andrews
Essay 3
22 April 2016
Fracking is Williamsport
How many of you use natural gas on a daily basis whether from heating your home or
cooking on the stove? Natural gas is a part of everyday living in the city of Williamsport. Most if
not all of the natural gas comes from fracking in America. Many people are now claiming that
fracking is not worth the environmental risks and causes a hazard to the city. The city of
Williamsport needs fracking now more than ever, but it needs to be done safely and with more
harshly regulated rules. Fracking is too crucial to Williamsport too mess up.
Fracking is a very important topic in the city of Williamsport. It has brought back jobs to
Williamsport and has helped it come out of the 2008 recession. Many people depend on fracking
to make a living. One statistic about this is “Hydraulic fracturing has created 1.7 million new
direct and indirect jobs in the United States, with the total likely to rise to 3 million jobs over the
next seven years” (12). This could be true for Williamsport as well with more jobs to come in the
future from drilling for shale. Fracking has become the driving force of the Williamsport
economy. Another reason you should care about fracking is the ecological hazard it could cause.
If left unchecked the fracking companies can skip steps and hurt the environment in search for a
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cheaper way to get the natural gas. If you do not pay attention to fracking you run the risk of
There are three main sides to the fracking controversy here in the city of Williamsport.
There are those who are totally for fracking and disagree with anything that tries to change it.
There are those who hate it and want it banished from the state. Lastly there is my side which is
that fracking is a must have in the city of Williamsport, but I also think rules and regulations
Many people think that fracking is bad for the environment and should be abandoned as a
way to get natural gas. This way of thinking has many facts to back up its claim. For example
one article states “Eight poisonous chemicals were found near wells and fracking sites in
Arkansas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wyoming at levels that far exceeded recommended
federal limits” (3). Pollution leakage from fracking sites is a big concern, but are avoidable.
Fracking can pollute in three ways by water, air, and land. Now while that does not sound good
all three of these risks can be severely limited if not completely nonexistent. The cause of water
pollution is because of fracking companies not being forced to take out the chemicals they put
into the earth. This can be resolved by forcing companies to do the best extraction of chemicals
that they can. Many companies avoid doing this and go for the cheaper options because harsher
regulations are not enforced. Air pollution caused by fracking sites can also be greatly reduced.
The main reason that fracking causes air pollution is that big fracking companies are not
regulated on how updated their generators and drills need to be. This causes a lot of excess
carbon dioxide to be released in areas around fracking sites. To stop this companies generators
should be tested on a yearly cycle and the standard for its emissions should be raised to help limit
Most people with this view are worried most about their home town getting destroyed by
fracking sites going up everywhere, but a practice is already being used to make sure this does
not happen. A fracking site after it is fracked can be completely restored and sometimes
enhanced to what it was before it was fracked. This practice is already in use with great success
as shown in this article “As operations are finished, the land is reclaimed, topsoil is replaced, and
local grasses, flowers and shrubs are planted, to create meadows for deer and wild turkeys” (6).
Fracking can bring gas to people and keep the land profitable after it is used. While the people
who think fracking cannot be good is a logical argument untimely we can have the best of both
worlds if fracking regulations are enforced. Another concern that the people who live among
fracking sites is that the pollution caused by it will cause unknown health effects. Williamsport
can avoid this by acting now before it becomes too late to change. The citizens of this city
The people who think that nothing is wrong with fracking and that it is perfect the way it
is are wrong. Their way of thinking is what has caused the collapse of many of the resource
based jobs in America such as the fishing industry and the once great oil industry in
Pennsylvania. If you let the fracking go unchecked and unorganized as these once great
industries were it will follow suit as such. Fracking has brought many jobs to Williamsport, but if
left unchecked they will go as quickly as they came. People are greedy and will do whatever it
takes to frack as cheaply and as quickly as possible. The reason for the pollution that we have
seen has been caused by this mentality. This cutting of corners is what has caused the water and
Companies need to be held accountable for what they do to the land they frack.
Regulations should require that companies use the maximum effort in equipment to make sure
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fracking is being done safely as possible. One counter argument often used is that increased
regulations on equipment will put too much burden on the fracking companies and make them
unprofitable. While they are right it will cost them more money the amount is very small
compared to the overall picture as shown in this statement “greater disclosure of fracking fluids
and tighter standards for cementing wells, would add at most 7% to the cost of a well” (15). A
harsher regulation of fracking companies will ensure that fracking jobs do not decrease over
time. In fact these regulations will cause in increase in jobs in Williamsport. People will be hired
to make sure these regulations are followed. More fracking will be done if it is generally more
accepted by the local community. Also with decreased pollution you are saving the city unknown
cleanup costs that could be caused by unchecked fracking sites. Across America cities and towns
are paying the price for mistakes they made decades ago. Williamsport is at a point in fracking
that you can still avoid these unwanted costs and make the future of this city bright. Fracking is a
great resource for Williamsport and it should be treated with the respect it deserves.
great things will continue to come from it, but if nothing is done problems and unwanted costs
will affect this city for decades. The economic value it provides is great for this city and can be
furthered by increased stiff regulation. People who want fracking to stay the way it is will only
lead to its destruction as has been shown in previous history. Ecologically fracking now is not
where it should be and people have the right to be worried, but it can become eco-friendly if
enforced. If fracking is continued the way it is unknown health effects could happen. Fracking
has brought Williamsport from the brink and you have the power to make sure it does not go
back.
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Works Cited
Levi, Michael. "Make Sure Fracking Is Done Right." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d.
Driessen, Paul. "- Fracking Brings Employment And Economic Revival." Townhall. N.p.,
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/10/30/toxic-chemicals-and-carcinogens-
skyrocket-near-fracking-sites-study-says