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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing
So, hello everybody. I'm a mining engineering student and I just stumbled upon a video about fracking. Please watch, and prepare to be surprised.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1009530098/fracknation
- no youtube link here, but this is important -
Honestly, I was very surprised to hear about this and it altered my judgement on the topic significantly.
In short, fracking is the process of pumping pressurized fluids into the ground to force oil and gas up to the surface. Some people are able to light their water on fire - for a short time - because of the gas content in their wells. Many blame it on hydrofracking. Additionally, a movie called "GasLand" talked heavily and criticized hydrofracking severely.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1558250/
Please spread the word, or reply with your ideas on the topic.
+ Show Spoiler +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weXXegZyGUE Long video, but make note of the prof's opinion if you don't have time to listen to the whole thing:
 
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This is so crazy cause i was in Cortland this past week seeing a friend and in the lobby there was a "dont frack with new york " poster. I had no idea what it meant until now lolol.
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On February 28 2012 17:15 cmen15 wrote:
This is so crazy cause i was in Cortland this past week seeing a friend and in the lobby there was a "dont frack with new york " poster. I had no idea what it meant until now lolol.
A lot of environmentalists and politicians are trying to make fracking out to be some sort of hellish procedure. I worked in a coal mine, now that sucks.
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I can't watch the video because I'm at work, but I know it has terrible effects for environment. It was banned in some countries already, I hope it will be banned in more countries, it's disgusting.
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On February 28 2012 17:29 endy wrote:
I can't watch the video because I'm at work, but I know it has terrible effects for environment. It was banned in some countries already, I hope it will be banned in more countries, it's disgusting.
My friend just called you a big noob 
Seriously though, all opinions welcome. Please watch the videos - or at least the first one - when you have the time.
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Theres a documentary called Gasland that kind of touches the subject. You might want to check it out.
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On February 28 2012 17:44 skindzer wrote:
Theres a documentary called Gasland that kind of touches the subject. You might want to check it out.
It's mentioned in my opening. And yeah, any way to get more light on the topic is pretty much a good thing.
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On February 28 2012 17:35 canucks12 wrote:Show nested quote +On February 28 2012 17:29 endy wrote:
I can't watch the video because I'm at work, but I know it has terrible effects for environment. It was banned in some countries already, I hope it will be banned in more countries, it's disgusting. My friend just called you a big noob Seriously though, all opinions welcome. Please watch the videos - or at least the first one - when you have the time.
Ok, I will watch the video tonight.
As far as I know fracture fluids contain dangerous chemicals, and those are not disposed of properly.
Also in the page you linked yourself, I can read :
In the US, interviews with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists and leaked documents have shown that, since the 1980s, EPA investigations into the oil and gas industry's environmental impact—including the ongoing one into fracking's potential impact on drinking water—and associated reports had been narrowed in scope and/or had negative findings removed due to industry and government pressure.
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From what they showed of the fallout from Fracking in Gasland I will be happy when they stop doing it. The fact that the laws around "safe" levels of toxins created by this procedure were written by the industry (at least in the US) and that they are pretty much not accountable is beyond stupid. There was a family in that film who had water coming out the the tap that not only wasn't drinkable but was actually flammable!!!!
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It's good to see the other side of the discussion with this documentary (no doubt they'll reach their goal and make the film). Personally, I know little about fracking besides some tidbits I picked up on lectures about oil and gas extraction, so I can't comment too much on it. But I'd bet a lot of people would be very surprised if they knew how the oil their cars run on has been extracted in the first place, or how the gas they're heating their homes with has.
Enviromental damage is a serious topic, and fracking - just like any other method of mining/extraction - should be monitored. But one-sided views help noone.
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Sometimes views seem to be one-sided because the evidence is overwhelming in a particular direction. I sympathize with (insert some completely unrelated situation given a paragraph on that page) but it doesn't change the facts at all.
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yeh i have known about this for a while and it sickens me
it really adds to my daily depression causing world issues that people without vision seem to love to be involved with
the entire areas that this goes on in become unlivable. the water itself is flamable and you can create plastic substances by putting a flame to some of the water. then when they are done pumping the water into the earth it causes things like toxic clouds and acid rain, just overall insane stuff.
gasland is something everyone should watch
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On February 28 2012 18:10 emythrel wrote:
From what they showed of the fallout from Fracking in Gasland I will be happy when they stop doing it. The fact that the laws around "safe" levels of toxins created by this procedure were written by the industry (at least in the US) and that they are pretty much not accountable is beyond stupid. There was a family in that film who had water coming out the the tap that not only wasn't drinkable but was actually flammable!!!!
A completely bullshit parlor trick. People have been doing that with their water for hundreds of years. Some parts of American naturally have high methane content in the water. It's just the way it is. What they need is a better well filtration system.
I'm sorry, but it's ignorant fools like you who fall for spectacle instead of science that are driving my country into oblivion.
Gasland is an attack piece that is not unbias and not scientific.
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What I want to know is what is in the fracking liquid that is being used?
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On February 28 2012 21:50 EternaLLegacy wrote:Show nested quote +On February 28 2012 18:10 emythrel wrote:
From what they showed of the fallout from Fracking in Gasland I will be happy when they stop doing it. The fact that the laws around "safe" levels of toxins created by this procedure were written by the industry (at least in the US) and that they are pretty much not accountable is beyond stupid. There was a family in that film who had water coming out the the tap that not only wasn't drinkable but was actually flammable!!!!
A completely bullshit parlor trick. People have been doing that with their water for hundreds of years. Some parts of American naturally have high methane content in the water. It's just the way it is. What they need is a better well filtration system. I'm sorry, but it's ignorant fools like you who fall for spectacle instead of science that are driving my country into oblivion. Gasland is an attack piece that is not unbias and not scientific.
This is what I'm trying to get at. I believe that fracking has been an unfair victim of gasland's approach.
It seems that people are too eager to believe a documentary these days. (how ironic that I link to another documentary eh?)
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i thought this was about battlestar galactica :0
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I think fracking was banned here in Brazil for a good reason.
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I support fracking. There's not one shred of academic evidence that fracking is inherently unsafe or overtly bad for the environment. There in fact has been at least one study that's shown most of the ground water contamination associated with fracking is in fact mostly to due with poor storage and spillage of chemicals near the surface. An issue that can affect any oil or gas drilling operations.
As for the methane in the personal wells as show in gasland, I don't see why that's an issue. Methane, while flammable, isn't toxic. It's a lot of emotional to-do over nothing.
Considering all the catastrophic enviromental damage the oil industry has done in places like Nigeria I find it peculiar that people are so worried about fracking. It's an emotional knee-jerk reaction to something based on no evicence. Even if this did cause damage to a few people's wells, the fact is the United States needs more energy. We need the natural gas and I don't see why we should abandon the whole process because a few people in the middle of no where are inconvinienced.
If they can prove there is methane contamination of their personal well; they deserve compensation from the energy companies and the laws should reflect that. But it is by no means a reason to abandon the whole thing. Right now the energy has to come from somewhere.
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All I know about fracking is a few hellish stories from my mother (an ER doctor). The worst of which being about a young man that fell into one of the collection pools. (where a bunch of the nasty fracking solution is kept after it comes back up)
He died from massive organ failure, the nurse than took his clothes off and the doctor that took care of him both nearly died from the same thing. The fracking solution is seriously fucking no good.
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EPT
