Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is revolutionizing the drilling of oil and gas for fuel purposes. The name itself ignites fear for Mother Earth! #Fracking is expected to be a medium for obtaining natural gas and oil by drilling deep into the earth and using explosions to bring up deeply buried shale rock formations which bring up the required natural gas and oil. Now, this process has a lot of consequences. It causes soil erosion, surface water pollution, groundwater pollution, impairment of wild landscapes which eventually are a threat for wildlife conservation.
California produces a large amount of fuel gas and oil. Out of its major oil producing county, 50 to 60 percent of oil wells are utilized using fracking. That is quite a number of oil wells in the whole country which undergo the same toxic processes of fracking. However, national environmental reviews indicate that fracking has become too hazardous to ignore. Since it was brought into question, illegal permitting of fracking of wells has appeared. Even when California Independent Petroleum Association undertook the hefty task of promoting the use of foreign oil to reduce the use of oil produced in California via fracking, the issue persists. Apparently, the price rises for fuels due to the use of foreign oil and losing jobs doesn’t solve the problem wholly.
There’s the risk that threatens #publichealth due to oil and gas exploration which must be considered strongly when addressing this issue. Fracking ban was to be implemented and successfully brought into practice by 2020, but seeing as it didn’t go as planned, it can be expected to be accomplished by 2024. This has severe consequences too. The fuel reserves can easily be depleted to a point where such natural energy may not be recovered. The only effective way is to maintain a strict policy which supports the fracking ban in all of California for the sake of environmental and public welfare.
Governor Newsom states that he supports the fracking ban and many fuel companies back his statement up. But it can also be noticed that this ban is likely to cause unrest in the fuel market. Issuance of fracking permits needs to be strictly monitored and wherever possible needs to be stopped.
Along with bringing health hazards to the working communities in this sector, fracking expels hazardous gases like methane and ozone into the atmosphere further worsening air pollution. Health being the top priority of the world currently, this aspect too needs to be seriously considered before permitting any further oil and gas exploration activities.
