A Brief Note On Texas s Fracking Conflict - 1076 Words

Devon Drew Professor Ronald Burnett Government 2306 3 July 2015 Texas’s Fracking Conflict One of the issues that Texas is currently facing is rooted in a populous industry, fracking. Texas has always been known for being oil and gas friendly, but cities are becoming weary about this industry invading highly populated suburban areas. While local governments have been able to block out drilling and gas wells for some time now, the state has taken a position that is becoming increasingly supportive of the oil and gas industry. To define fracking in latent terms, it’s the process of injecting liquids into rock at high pressures in order to extract oil and gas. The biggest concern looming over this growing industry is the environmental risks that it poses. Everyone wants oil, but no one wants it in their backyard. The cities of Texas are taking the position that fracking has more disadvantages environmentally than it has benefits that outweigh those costs. Not only is clean air in danger, but water sources are vulnerable to this environ mentally-unfriendly commerce. The most common liquid used for fracking is water, and very large amounts of water are consistently required, but where is all of this water coming from? Other concerns that fracking causes such as contamination, â€Å"methane gas and toxic chemicals leach out from the system and contaminate nearby groundwater. Methane concentrations are 17 times higher in drinking-water wells near fracturing sites than in normal wells†