New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

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Open hydrofracking laws must pass

The hydraulic fracturing decision in New York has been delayed yet again due to remaining uncertainty regarding the potential health risks of gas drilling. While the media has sensationalized the strong public anti-fracking response, an energy poll weighted using U.S. Census Bureau figures and conducted by the University of Texas at Austin revealed that 62 percent of survey participants did not even know what hydrofracking was.

Hydraulic fracturing is an advanced method of extracting natural gas from layers of shale rock buried up to 10,000 feet below the surface. The rock formations are blasted with water, sand and chemicals so that fissures are created and gas is released.

So what does this mean? Well, it means the most efficient domestic development of natural gas America has ever seen. It means a dramatic reduction in foreign fuel imports, which means more federal revenue. It means a significant decrease in dependency on foreign oil, which means more jobs in the United States. It means a cleaner alternative to coal and oil. It means cutting carbon dioxide emissions in the looming shadow of climate change. It means access to enough resources to heat homes in the United States for 857 years.

Given the information available to us, the benefits of fracking far outweigh public health concerns. While there has been evidence of water contamination, Syracuse University hydrology professor Donald Siegel agrees that accidents are a minimal risk.

“In every basin, there might be one or two accidents out of tens of thousands of wells,” he said.

Even the New York Health Department believes that human exposure to chemicals due to hydrofracking poses little or no danger. While these affirmations are vague, look toward Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper — such a firm believer in its safety that he actually drank fracking fluid.

Now, I’m not saying the health risks gas drilling poses are not legitimate or do not need to be addressed. In fact, I believe the best way to minimize environmental harm and make natural gas production safer is through more regulation. No more exemptions for gas and oil industries, as in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. No more loopholes and trade secrets. It’s time for comprehensive federal legislation on energy policy starting with the cleanest fossil fuel accessible to us: natural gas.

Hydrofracking has opened the door to the most effective natural gas development the world has ever realized. Stopping it is not the answer to a better environment. Sufficient regulation and safer procedures extended by the federal government on gas and oil companies are the next steps the United States should take in order to ensure economic growth and increased domestic energy production.

 

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 19 print edition. Raquel Woodruff is deputy opinion editor. Email her at [email protected].

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  • G

    Gayle DriveFeb 20, 2013 at 5:15 pm

    Like all technology a balance must be realized between the benifits of hydrofracking and the potential harm. Industries must be responsible and share (taxes) a small portion of their profits.

    Reply
  • V

    Victor Corcino (uncle vic)Feb 20, 2013 at 11:52 am

    Good article Im really impressed with your work

    Reply
  • T

    TiFeb 20, 2013 at 10:10 am

    Fluff article that didn’t really get to the facts. The consequences listed are downplayed enough to be seen as propaganda. Moreover, natural gas as “clean energy” is debatable. While it may burn cleaner, the process to extract can make it even more dirty than coal.
    This article doesn’t add anything to the debate that a simple google search couldn’t pull up.
    Disclaimer: I’m not 100% for/against hydrofracturing -it has it’s pros & cons. I just think this article did a poor job…

    Reply
  • M

    MattFeb 20, 2013 at 8:20 am

    Fracking uses an immense amount of water that is potentially lost forever. Some of the chemicals used are not regulated. In PA last year over 4 million dollars were set aside for residents to bring in water after their wells were contaminated. Hydrofracking is economically viable but it is not environmentally sound or socially just.

    Reply
  • M

    MeganFeb 19, 2013 at 10:33 pm

    While this is a great piece of writing, your claim that hydraulic fracturing is a “clean” alternative to coal and oil is just false. Hydrofracking releases a huge amount of methane into the atmosphere, another very invasive greenhouse gas that actually has a greater ability to absorb heat than does carbon, we just have less of it in the air as of now in parts per million. Transitioning from a dependence on oil to a dependence on natural gas is not a solution, but a distraction.

    Reply