The Case For Reregulation Of Hydraulic Fracturing

Anthony Wagman Professor Rudd English 101-064 5/27/16 The Case for Reregulation of Hydraulic Fracturing In 2000, there were approximately 276,000 natural gas wells in the United States (Lallanilla). By 2010, that number had almost doubled to 510,000, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (Lallanilla). Each year 13,000 new wells are drilled and according to a study done in 2014, at least 15.3 million Americans have lived within a mile of a fracking well that has been drilled since 2000 (Lallanilla). This boom in the industry within the United States was prompted by the development of horizontal drilling which combined with fracking unlocked many new oil and gas deposits. Coupled with concerns over energy security and the costs associated with imported oil and other fossil fuels. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration it estimates that as of January 1, 2013 there was approximately 2,276 trillion cubic feet of recoverable dry natural gas in the United States (â€Å"US†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). At the rate of U.S. dry natural g as consumption in 2013 of about 27 Trillion cubic feet per year, the United States has enough natural gas to last about 84 years (â€Å"US†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). The general thinking about the industry is that with these natural gas deposits within the U.S. the country can use this fuel to ease its reliance on foreign energy supplies. In addition, provide a cleaner burning source of energy compared to coal and oil, buying the nation time and acting as a reliable bridge to future