Texas has introduced the modern exploration method known as “Hydraulic Fracking.” It is particularly preferred for oil and natural gas extraction. Hydraulic fracking is the technique of injecting chemicals, sand, and water at high pressure inside the underground subsurface of the earth to extract the mineral reserves. It is a trending method of mineral exploration globally. While we discuss this, we will delve deeply into hydraulic fracking's pros and cons, as well as its purpose.

Fracking has made drilling and exploration activities worthier and more sustainable. Though it brings a positive drilling avenue, some assume it is a concern for the environment and health. Yet, there’s no such technology in the world that would not affect the environment in some cases. Yes, it has some cons, but it has undoubtedly brought positive transformations in the USA's energy independence and economic growth, the way ahead we thought. Let us first understand how hydraulic fracking has evolved in Texas.

A Quick Historical Overview of Fracking

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has brought a major change in the oil and gas exploration process. ‘Frack’ is used to mention fracking for the sake of simplicity. But earlier, most oilfield service providers and oil and gas operators used to say ‘Frac’. The word ‘Frac’ was used by various analysts or new media. Either ‘Frac’ or ‘Frack’ was the concern in those days. Later the experts concluded to keep ‘Frack’ in short to fracturing or fracking, due to its popularity. The word ‘Frack’ came to rise, and fracturing added a number of initiatives in the oil and gas sector. Given the continuing discussions over hydraulic fracking's pros and cons, it is critical to dig more into its previous progression and the resulting socioeconomic outcomes.

Here is a detailed timeline about how hydraulic fracturing has evolved in the oil and gas sector.

1860s:

To improve drilling activities, Edward Robert becomes the first to use “Fluid Tamping” on hard rock wells for fracturing.
1947:

Floyd Farris found out the effect of pressurized treatment on oil and gas production. As a result, the first modern hydraulic fracking arrived in the Hugoton gas field of Kansas. They used limestone to extract natural gas.
1949:

Halliburton company became the first to successfully perform two commercial hydraulic fracking activities in Archer County, Texas, and Stephens County, Oklahoma.
1953:

Gelling agents and water prompted the substitution of Napalm with an injection procedure. It resulted in efficient drilling.
1965:

Hydraulic fracturing was first used in shale formations in southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky in the mid-1960s, significantly increasing output from unproductive wells.
1968:

The usage of high-volume hydraulic fracking was started by the well-known company ‘Pan American Petroleum.’ This modern method injected around 130 tonnes of proppant into gas and oil wells.
Late 1970S:

Hydraulic fracking became popular in oil and gas fields of the North Sea.
1980S:

The Austin Chalk in Texas emerged the new large slickwater hydraulic fracking along with horizontal drilling.
1981:

The new Micro seismic monitoring method came into practice. This method made hydraulic fracturing effective and improved.
1992-1996:

Microseismic monitoring has gone through multiple utilization and experimental procedures.
2000:

Micro seismic imaging method mapped the surface of Barnett Shale play.
2002:

The innovations in drilling, like slickwater fracturing, horizontal drilling, and microseismic mapping, came together as the beginning of hydraulic fracturing in the 21st century.
2003:

The shale revolution got started to discover the new shale plays.
2012:

Around 2.5 million hydraulic fracturing practices were carried out globally; amongst them, one million were from the US.
2016:

About 4.3 million barrels of oil are generated per day with the integration of hydraulic fracturing. As per the Energy Information Administration, fracturing was responsible for achieving 50% of total oil output in the US.
2019:

The oil production of shale plays measured around 8 million barrels per day employing hydraulic fracturing. This method has continued till today to flourish the oil and gas sector.
2024:

Today, with the latest technologies and innovations, hydraulic fracturing is vigorously upgrading its performance.

Air Quality & Water Contamination:

Hydraulic fracturing is a widely used technique that has now been implemented worldwide. This method minimizes the reliance on coal for energy requirements. As a result, it produces less carbon dioxide emission. Ultimately, it improves the air quality. Hydraulic fracturing utilizes water as an essential fluid. To extract the gas from shale, fresh water is used which may be responsible for water contamination. This modern drilling innovation brought some positive as well as a few pessimistic impacts regarding air quality and water contamination.

Here are the Hydraulic Fracking Pros and Cons Associated with Air and Water.

Pros:

Minimizing Emissions:

Hydraulic fracking performs natural gas extraction more easily. While extracting, only a few emissions of greenhouse gas occur compared to coal. It lowers both air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions as well as improves air quality.

Reduced Particulate Matter:

During coal combustion, particulate matter spreads. That includes dirt, dust, and other hazardous particles. Natural gas extraction due to hydraulic fracking minimizes such particulate matter, improving air quality.

Decreased Dependency on Coal:

Natural gas combustion generates fewer hazardous elements compared to coal. As a result, natural gas is prioritized over coal for energy needs.

Employment Opportunities:

Water is needed in the shale plays for natural gas extraction. Human intervention is required for the transportation of water from the water source to the shale. It creates many employment chances.

Independence of Energy:

The vast natural gas production with fracking makes an energy independent country, minimizing the dependency on foreign energy sources.

Cons:

Leakage of Methane Gas:

During fracking activity, methane gas may be released into the atmosphere. It may affect the health conditions of nearby communities. Methane in the air for a longer time may also be responsible for climate change.

Water Pollution:

The water may get affected and become impure due to the intervention of fracking. The fracking fluids may result in marine life damage and water contamination.

Local Infrastructure and Community Impacts

The improvement in fracturing activities leads to economic growth by means of tax avenues and employment opportunities. It has a positive impact on both the community and companies. Industry also needs to build and enhance the infrastructure. That includes pipelines and roads, which can add more effort to the overall state’s development.

Moreover, the energy generated from fracking improves energy security. Subsequently, the initial cost gets reduced for communities. Although fracturing shares positive impacts on the community, it has included some passive concerns.

Let's Explore the Hydraulic Fracking Pros and Cons, in terms of Community Impacts and Local Infrastructure.

Pros:

Fracking increases average earnings, job opportunities, property values, wage growth, and gas bill decrease.

Fracking has brought increased tax revenue to the state by increasing production.

Forbes reported on fracking in 2018. The report reflects Michael Greenstone's, a former member of the Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board views. He states, “We discovered that for the average household living in a community where fracking takes place the benefits exceed the costs—indeed, it is worth about $2,000 per year to them. That calculation of $2,000 per year is based on people’s current understanding of the health impacts at the time of our study. If people’s understanding of the health impacts were to change, it is likely that this would alter the net benefits of allowing fracking.”

It is contributing to developing new infrastructure, such as roads and water pipelines.

Fracking may enhance local government revenues, leading to improved public services like health, education, and community engagement.

Cons:

The Strain on Existing Infrastructure: The injection of pressurized fluids into underground rock formations may affect existing infrastructures. It may produce strain on existing bridges and roads during traffic.

Pollution: During the fracturing process, noise pollution, air pollution, and water pollution may occur in some amount. Such pollution may affect nearby communities.

Infrastructure Damage: A prolonged fracking process may be able to cause a small-scale earthquake. It may damage the existing infrastructure and can be risky for lives.

Greenhouse Gas Leaks and Effects on Climate Change

Hydraulic fracturing has made it easier to extract natural gas. People are prioritizing natural gas over coal to satisfy energy needs. Using natural gas is a far greener option than burning coal.

Replacing coal with natural gas minimizes excessive greenhouse emissions, helping to utilize renewable energy. At the power plant level, it is observed that natural gas produces only 44 to 50% of emissions compared to the combustion of coal. It also produces almost the same amount of greenhouse gases.

Fracking even contains a few ecological concerns that we cannot neglect. Hydraulic fracking may cause the emission of methane gas, NOx, SO2, and other such gasses. These gasses are responsible for causing impure air and climate change. Sometimes, it may produce acidic rain and breathing issues for nearby communities.

The fracking activity needs a considerable amount of water. This water may get polluted and affect water quality. The water used in fracking later becomes wastewater. Disposing of wastewater in the rocks may cause land degradation, habitat destruction, and damage to marine life.

What is Seismic Activity, and What are its Pros and Cons?

Seismic activity is both a geological event and a method of recording. The abrupt shifting of the Earth's crust causes earthquakes and surface shaking. This shifting is mostly caused by tectonic plate collisions at plate borders.

The vibrations or waves created within the subsurface of the earth when drilling also occurred at that time. This technique specifies the geological formation data under the surface of the earth. It helps to identify the detailed condition of the land for engineers, geoscientists, and other entities involved in drilling.

Seismic activity also consists of specific devices that can generate controlled shock waves or vibrations at the surface. These vibrations puncture the layers of the subsurface and rebound as reflections. Sensors (also known as geophones) record these reflections. The data collected from reflections is analyzed, and comprehensive surface structure images can be generated.

For hydraulic fracking, the seismic activity points out the rock formations and reservoirs of hydrocarbons. It also manages to provide a potential drilling site. With the help of seismic activity, detailed insights into the surface can be identified. It helps schedule and implement drilling tasks with high accuracy, enhancing resource exploration.

Let's understand the Pros and Cons of Seismic Activity.

Pros:

Seismic activity helps to identify the depth and lateral fluctuations in the surface and can measure the seismic velocity.

Seismic activity can generate comprehensive images of structural parameters inside the subsurface.

It is able to generate the dispositional and stratigraphic functions of the surface.

Seismic activity may sometimes detect the hydrocarbons directly.

Cons:

The data collected in the seismic activity survey may sometimes become overwhelming.

Data acquisition may be pricey and complex compared to other techniques.

It takes much time to process and the reduction of the data.

Conclusion

Hydraulic fracturing has brought a magnificent transition in the exploration process, especially for natural gas. Communities are learning about hydraulic fracking pros and cons to evaluate the economic advantages versus its negatives and optimize local development while limiting hazards.

Hydraulic fracking produces less emission compared to burning coal. With smoother natural gas extraction due to fracking, communities are preferring natural gas over coal. This technique uses water in large amounts, which may sometimes cause water contamination. Fracking added the efforts to emphasize the positive intervention of communities towards fracking practices.

In a nutshell, though hydraulic fracking gives good short term benefits for booming oil and gas production in the US, we must remember its few but significant consequences! Equilibrating hydraulic fracking pros and cons calls for ethical tactics by protecting the environment, prioritizing community health, and ensuring energy security for future generations.

FAQ’s

What are the benefits of hydraulic fracking?

Hydraulic fracking provides many benefits in production. That includes enhanced energy safety, comparatively less air pollution, less carbon emissions, and reduced energy prices.

Are there any cons of hydraulic fracking?

Hydraulic fracking has some cons. It may affect the environment in some way. It sometimes becomes responsible for climate change, water contamination, seismic activity, etc.

Is there any future for hydraulic fracking in the US?

Fracking has brought a major transformation in the US regarding economic growth. As per the CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate), fracking has grown 7.4% worldwide. It made a profit of around $52.1 Billion in 2023 and is expected to make it $74.4 billion by 2028 for the US.

A Quick Historical Overview of Fracking

1860s:

1947:

1949:

1953:

1965:

1968:

Late 1970S:

1980S:

1981:

1992-1996:

2000:

2002:

2003:

2012:

2016:

2019:

2024:

Air Quality & Water Contamination:

Pros:

Minimizing Emissions:

Reduced Particulate Matter:

Decreased Dependency on Coal:

Employment Opportunities:

Independence of Energy:

Cons:

Leakage of Methane Gas:

Water Pollution:

Local Infrastructure and Community Impacts

Pros:

Cons:

Greenhouse Gas Leaks and Effects on Climate Change

What is Seismic Activity, and What are its Pros and Cons?

Pros:

Cons:

Conclusion

FAQ’s

What are the benefits of hydraulic fracking?

Are there any cons of hydraulic fracking?

Is there any future for hydraulic fracking in the US?