Imagine building a dream home in what you thought to be a perfect location.
Now imagine coming home from work to see a new drilling site, without any say in it, right next to that dream home.
Confusion, anger and disbelief are sure to set in.
Unfortunately, such behavior has occurred frequently in other parts of the country.
Erin D’Aleo / Graphics Editor
Many are completely unaware of what hydraulic fracturing even is.
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is the “process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside,” according to BBC World News.
Shalestuff.com posted on their website that oil and gas companies, “drill into the ground to extract natural gas from the shale rock that lays thousands of feet under the surface.”
This process should not occur in the United States. Instead, the well-being of the people and the environment should be protected.
Numerous environmental risks come with the process of fracking.
Drilling causes contamination of the groundwater and depletion of fresh water that residents in the area frequently drink and bathe in.
It also contaminates the air, transfers gases and hydraulic-fracturing chemicals to the surface and causes surface contamination from spills.
Such dangers can then potentially affect humans’ health.
In the documentary Gasland II, a family was forced out of their dream home due to the mother getting cancer, one of the children’s asthma being affected and the other child getting bloody noses, all because of the contamination from the fracked wells in their area.
The value of their house went down for having these wells, also.
Some states are also trying to reduce fracking actions, and the U.K. has lifted its bans.
According to the Los Angeles Times, “Ohio indefinitely shut down Hilcorp Energy Company’s fracking operation near the Pennsylvania border last month after five earthquakes.”
Ohio has announced “some of the nation’s strictest limits on fracking near faults,” also according to the LA Times.
While drilling companies continue to point out the good in fracking, more and more people are getting sick because of these unwanted drilling techniques.
It’s only a matter of time until fracking will make its way to New Hampshire and surrounding areas.
It’s important for the public to have knowledge about fracking and educate others so there is more awareness about this activity.
Jordan Crowley can be contacted at jcrowley@keene-equinox.com