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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

losing jobs for Williamsport citizens and causing harm to environment.

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

need to be harshly enforced limit the pollution caused by fracking.

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

the carbon dioxide released.

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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

deserve that things be changed

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

air pollution caused by fracking.

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.

The continuation of fracking in Williamsport makes logical sense. If handled properly

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.

Web. 22 Apr. 2016.

Driessen, Paul. "- Fracking Brings Employment And Economic Revival." Townhall. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/10/30/toxic-chemicals-and-carcinogens-

skyrocket-near-fracking-sites-study-says