Hydrofracking at first glance may seem like a strange word to someone who does not know what it is. It is however a word that describes the common process of extracting natural gasses and oil from under the shale bedrock beneath the earth’s surface. Boring you say? Perhaps it is if you don’t know the importance of the material’s mined from this process. Through the process of hydrofracking natural gasses can be mined which are used for things such as heating a home, stovetop cooking and water heating. Natural gas is also used as a cleaner fuel for some vehicles.

While hydrofracking gives us the natural gas we so often use there is often debate as to whether or not the process of hydrofracking is harmful to our environment or not. Those opposed to hydrofracking say that it can be harmful to our water sources and some even say it can cause earthquakes. While there may be potential for hydrofracking to be harmful, the risks are minimal and the benefits far outweigh any risk.

In order to better understand whether or not hydrofracking is harmful or not it is first necessary to understand how it works. Hydrofracking is actually short for hydraulic fracturing which, simply means using high pressured water to cause something to fracture. Hydrofracking uses high pressured water containing chemicals and sand to pulverize shale under the earth’s surface to obtain the natural gasses trapped in the shale. Hydrofracking was first used in the 1940’s and has provided an effective way of obtaining natural gasses ever since
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The most common concern people have with hydraulic fracturing is that it has the risk of polluting our ground water. During the process of hydrofracking, the water and chemical mixture used to break apart the shale underground is often injected directly into an underground water source and thereby polluting it. Even though it is true that the water source can be effected by hydrofracking, this risk is mitigated through a variety of methods including pumping the water mixture back up and cleaning it before it is put back underground. Also, the fact that hydrofracking has been used for over 70 years with little to no issues with water pollution shows that hydrofracking is well worth the risks.

Hydrofracking is not just beneficial because of the resources it gives us, it is also beneficial because it creates jobs and helps build our economy. The oil and natural gas industry produces, directly or indirectly, over eight million jobs. With hydrofracking as a large source of natural gas, it is not hard to see that it has a clear impact on the amount of jobs in America.

As can be seen by the benefits to both our homes and our economy, the benefits of hydrofracking clearly outweigh the risks. With time the development of new ways to further mitigate the risk of pollution will make hydrofracking even safer and will allow us to enjoy all the benefits of natural gas at cheaper prices.