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Alex Schnorr
Mrs. Schneider
AP English, Period 8
October 20, 2012
Fracking Persuasive Speech
If you were looking for a way to poison the drinking water supplyyou couldnt find a
more chillingly effective, and thorough method of doing so than with hydraulic fracturing.
states Paul Hetzler in the Watertown Daily News. Shocking words, however, what in the world is
hydraulic fracturing, and why is this topic controversial? Well, it may sound complex, but in
contrast hydraulic fracturing is quite a simple process. Commonly referred to as fracking, this
practice is used to extract natural gas. Essentially millions of gallons of water mixed with sand
and chemicals are shot down a well to free additional this gas, which is then extracted. As you
know, our society is extremely dependent on natural gas and all fossil fuels. Buses, industrial
machines, trucks, the list is endless. The U.S. is currently completely reliant on this fuel source,
and without it our nation would cease to function; and theres a large supply of natural gas to
access via fracking and satisfy Americans demand. So thats definitely a good thing, and clearly
fracking has some extraordinary benefit. However, are these benefits worth some major
consequences which are usually overlooked, the use of toxic chemicals, environmental
destruction, and devastation of towns and people near the fracking sites? After closer inspection,
fracking is quite a dangerous process, and should be completely stopped or limited if gas
corporations cannot figure out a safer way to frack.

First of all theres the issue of whats in the water corporations use to frack.
Numerous chemicals are used in the fracking process. In fact the US House of Representatives
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(Committee on Energy and Commerce) reports, Between 2005 and 2009, the oil and gas
companies used 750 different chemicals in fracking, many of which are human carcinogens,
regulated as risks to human health, or listed as hazardous air pollutants. These corporations are
not even required to disclose these chemicals they are using, and have even publicly refused to
do so when asked. It should be pretty clear that all these chemicals will lead to some problems as
at least 780 million gallons of them have been used between 2005 and 2009(US House of
Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce).
Fracking, in fact, has been linked to numerous environmental conflicts. Sarah Francisco,
a senior attorney with SELC, remarks " [fracking] has a large footprint and it can have
significant impacts on the forest, wildlife habitat and water quality. These include: draining of
local water reserves, the heavy use and destruction of local roads, the noise pollution of fracking
pumps, and clearing of forest land. Furthermore, the rock layer which the natural gas is extracted
from is radioactive, and it is very probable that radioactive elements will be released into the air
from the fracking process. How are corporations allowed to do this? Ironically The New York
Times observes, The natural gas industry has exemptions or exclusions from key parts of at
least 7 of the 15 major federal environmental laws designed to protect air and water from
radioactive and hazardous chemicals. This should not be allowed to happen, and these are only
a few of the environmental issues with fracking, thats definitely not a good thing.

So, if this process is obviously bad for the environment, just think about how it affects
people, you and me. Fracking contamination has been reported to cause cancer, neurological
symptoms, and countless other illnesses. The Natural Resources Defense Council offers the same
conclusion in a series of reports. In Pennsylvania in 2009, the Zimmerman family reported the
contamination of the local drinking water after Atlas Energy had been fracking nearby. After
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testing the water arsenic was found at 2,600 times acceptable levels, benzene 44 times above
limits, and naphthalene, mercury, and selenium levels superseding official limits as well (Mall).
These reports are never ending. It should be quite obvious how this can affect us individually,
and the potential danger fracking presents to people.

Again, while hydraulic fracturing has some huge benefits, there are consequences: the use
of toxic chemicals, environmental destruction, and devastation of towns and people near the
fracking sites. Its only logical to attempt to slow and or stop the gas corporations from future
harmful fracking procedures and proceed with more caution. People, indeed, have the power to
stop these companies. The EPA reports that in 2010 Pennsylvania completely prohibited Cabot
Oil and Gas Corp from future drilling in the state after a contamination issue (Energy &
Commerce Committee). This goes to show how important it is that we be aware of what is
happening around us and take action if something is not right. Be aware of fracking if you
happen to come across it in the future, and consider where the natural gas is coming you are
using.

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Works Cited

Arthur, J. Daniel; Uretsky, Mike; Wilson, Preston (May 56, 2010). "Water Resources and Use
for Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale Region" (PDF). Meeting of the American
Institute of Professional Geologists. Pittsburgh: ALL Consulting. p. 3. Retrieved 201205-09.
"Energy & Commerce Committee." Energy & Commerce Committee. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct.
2012. <http://energycommerce.house.gov/>.
ExxonMobil. "Light Seeking Light." : An Argument for Fracking. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.
<http://lightseekinglight.blogspot.com/2011/08/argument-for-fracking.html>.
Howells, Polly. "Dont Frack with Our Water!" In These Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4909/dont_frack_with_our_water/>.
"Hydraulic Fracturing Issues and Problems." Hydraulic Fracturing Issues and Problems. Marc
W. McCord., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://fracdallas.org/docs/issues.html>.
Mall, Amy. "Incidents Where Hydraulic Fracturing Is a Suspected Cause of Drinking Water
Contamination." Home. Natural Resources Defense Council, 19 Dec. 2011. Web. 14 Oct.
2012. <http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/amall/incidents_where_hydraulic_frac.html>.
Schultz, Aarik. Hydraulic Fracturing and Natural Gas Drilling: Questions and Concerns. New
York: Nova Science, 2012. Print.
Tracy, Tennille. "New EPA Findings Test Fracking Site." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones &
Company, Inc., 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443294904578049210534771442.html
>.
Wilber, Tom. Under the Surface: Fracking, Fortunes and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale.
Ithaca: Cornell UP, 2012. Print.

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Rhetorical Devices Used: Hypophora, rhetorical question, Appositive