Las Vegas Sun NewsEnvironment:
Hydrofracking may lead to oil discovery in Nevada but comes with environmental concerns
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7 December 2012
2 a.m.
Buried beneath Nevada's desert are rich reserves of gold, copper and other natural resources. But when it comes to oil, the state is a lightweight. Nevada is one of the lowest oil-producing states in the country. Extraction has plunged over the past few decades. And yet, energy companies are showing more interest in the Silver State. An increasingly popular and controversial drilling technique that can pump oil from once-impenetrable places has nudged some companies to reconsider Nevada. “It’s worth another look now,” Nevada state geologist Jim Faulds said. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves companies blasting water, sand and chemicals thousands ...
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These concerns over fracking will receive lip service. Heads will bob. Then permission to frack will a course be granted. Once they smell the blood, the discussion period has come to an end.
Long term effects of fracking include, but are not limited to these new world scenarios: water that you can ignite; methane and sulfur in our homes; carbonaceous skies and a whole bunch of really dumb people fracking our mama.
Fracking is only a concern if you get your science from Hollywood.
Great post by Joe Lamy, above.
While portions of this article details the benefits of hydraulic fracturing, the extreme contamination of Nevada's ground water is ever paramount if such a process like this should be approved.
I'm not trusting of these exploration companies who claim to possess highly-developed water filtration systems to offset these inevitable hazards; i.e. systems that claim the ability to keep water in the filtration system for longer than other filtration set-ups from the past. Although these newer systems have micro-porous filtration that do remove some invasive elements, the risks far outweigh the advantages.
Industrial water purification systems are, a dime a dozen. In experts figuring out which one, if any works before the true damage is done does not look possible at this stage in our technological advancements.
The tap water in the Las Vegas valley is already poisonious, so what's the big deal.
Unless the proposed hydrofracking (Note that 'hydro'fracking requires large amounts of water) is close to Las Vegas, where are they going to get their fracking water? Las Vegas is planning on sucking the rest of Nevada dry. I see a conflict here. The EPA estimates anywhere from 15 to 80 per cent of water is recovered. The water that is recovered either has to be stored somewhere or heavily treated before it can be released due to the acids and other chemicals added to the fracking water. Good luck to everyone involved, you'll need it.
It's time to no longer just kick the can down the road. We got to be more creative in the kind of energy that we use. It does not help do get independent from foreign oil production by polluting and destroying our nature, (recommend watching the movie "Gasland"). There is plenty of clean energy sources that we would finally need to push to be used or to be developed further to increased efficiency. Just here in Nevada we have wind, solar, geo thermal all very environmental friendly technologies to produce heat or power. If it comes to power your beloved car, electricity powred cars is one option the other would be fuel cell, both systems are very environmental friendly. But we need to ultimately do the first step. As long as big oil is sponsoring Washington to allow fracking to be exempt from laws that protect our environment, they have no pressure to really get inventive. This needs to be changed quickly.
Lol. You bleeding heart socialist liberals make me laugh. Once article and you're all experts on hydro fracking and energy exploration.
In reply to "frischee112 "; we don't claim to be experts. However, we are smart enough to know that consuming harshly contaminated water is not good for us.
When big profits begin rolling in from dangerous explorations, just make sure there is enough money to roll out from the sicknesses that result from such explorations."
>B. Chapline<
Just Fracking Groovy!
As long as the US is full of stupid people, there will be fracking.
So every time fracking occurs there's contaminated water?