Publication Date
2020
Document Type
Book
Description
Hydraulic fracturing is a method of extracting oil and gas developed in the 1940s. The purpose of hydrofracking is to gain access to fossil energy deposits that had previously been inaccessible. This process produces a large majority of the world’s waste, in addition to polluting air and water. Due to this, hydrofracking in the state of New York was banned in 2014, yet continues in surrounding states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania. Being that high-volume fracturing was banned in New York I chose to focus on Pennsylvania, more specifically Susquehanna County. I want to determine how waste management processes have changed in this area since the ban in New York. The Department of Environmental Protection in Pennsylvania collects production and waste reports for the wells located throughout the state. I examine these reports, in order to determine the factors that negatively affect the environment. I expect that waste will have been managed in a way that is more conscious of the environmental impacts this industry is having, however with the continued practice of hydraulic fracturing I do expect to see an increase in the number of waste products being produced. This affects today’s society in everyday life, gas and oil are a necessity for many aspects of our lives, for example they generate heating and electricity. It is important to minimize the waste produced from this industry to prevent further contribution to polluting the environment.
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Recommended Citation
Kinney, Logan, "Gas and Oil Drilling: A Look at Waste Management" (2020). Research Days Posters 2020. 41.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_spring2020/41