Disadvantages Of Fracking

Question 1

What are the 6 main focus disadvantages of fracking?

Answer 1

Water contamination 
Water usage 
Seismic hazards 
Noise pollution
Landscape damage 
Climate Change

Question 2

What are 3 ways of fracking causing water contamination?

Answer 2

1) Percolation form surface
2) leakage through pipe
3) spreading through fissures

Question 3

Around what percentage of the fracking fluid is contained underground?

Answer 3

50%-70%

Question 4

Despite Quadrilla and other groups in favour of fracking saying the water will be treated as a plant what is the argument to undermine this?

Answer 4

Some chemicals are untreatable and undetectable by certain plants. Due to the chemicals being closed off they are unable to adapt the plants

Question 5

What fraction does the UK get it domestic water supply from the groundwater aquifers?

Answer 5

3/4

Question 6

How much of the UK water supply comes from our own resources?

Answer 6

38%

Question 7

What are the regulations and attempts to manage the possible water contamination threat that Quadrilla as stated it will perform?

Answer 7

Impermeable surface membrane to prevent percolation, three layers of casing around drill and pipe, monitoring the fissures and the site 2 years after completion

Question 8

What are three damaging chemicals that are put in the fracking mixture?

Answer 8

Benzene, hydrochloric acid, menthol

Question 9

What are some of the chemicals that can come from the underground shale rock and cause water contamination?

Answer 9

Radon gas and Methane

Question 10

How many chemicals can be injected into the fracking fluid?

Answer 10

700

Question 11

What is the increase in me being present in areas near to fracking sites compared to those that are not?

Answer 11

17X Higher

Question 12

What can some of the chemicals in the open pits pose in terms of air pollution?

Answer 12

Ground level ozone and acid rain

Question 13

How much water do possible fracking sites use for each frack job?

Answer 13

8 to 20,000,000 L of fresh water

Question 14

How many gallons of water used in the US for fracking every year?

Answer 14

72,000,000,000,000 gallons

Question 16

Why does the water fracking fluid have to be freshwater?

Answer 16

Because seawater has a higher salinity that can react with the chemicals in the fracking fluid to make it less efficient and more dangerous. Seawater is also impractical to use as most of the fracking sites are further away from the sea

Question 17

What do those in favour of fracking point towards in terms of counteracting the argument that fracking uses a lot of water?

Answer 17

Underground coal, oil and uranium mining uses around 2.5 times to 13 times the amount of water that fracking sites use

Question 18

How many faults are there in Lancashire and name a notable example?

Answer 18

50 including the Pennines Fault

Question 19

What methods do Cuadrilla state that they will use to limits the impacts of seismic hazards?

Answer 19

Traffic light system & monitoring development of faults

Question 20

What other form of energy production produces considerable earthquakes yet there is no concern as large as there is for fracking?

Answer 20

Nuclear power

Question 21

What arguments do Cuadrilla and the DECC state in terms of the severity of the possible seismic hazards?

Answer 21

Vibrations caused by trains and trucks cause greater magnitudes and the U.K does not sit on geology of which is as active and extreme as the US

Question 22

What is the population density per kilometre squared for the UK and US?

Answer 22

UK equals 267/KM2

US equals 36/KM2

Question 23

Where could some of the possible noise pollution from fracking so come from?

Answer 23

Trucks travelling to and from the fracking site, the drilling process

Question 24

What might the increased noise pollution in the area near to fracking site cause?

Answer 24

1) Disturbances to the landscape
2) decreased quality of life
3) decreased housing prices
4) emigration away from the rural area

Question 25

What are Cuadrilla and the government trying to provide in order to mitigate the effects of a close proximity fracking site?

Answer 25

Royalties that consist of a £100,000 grant to the local area and 1% of the revenues. The company has Ineos has furthered this to 6%

Question 26

How much of Cuadrilla’s profits are taxed by the government?

Answer 26

30%

Question 27

What are the arguments for those against using natural gas as a transition feel?

Answer 27

1) We should be investing in sustainable energy immediately

2) natural gas although it produces less CO2 produces more methane which is worse for climate change

Question 28

What percent of the fractured gas is lost to the atmosphere?

Answer 28

3%

Question 29

What percentage does methane make up of natural gas?

Answer 29

Around 90%

Question 30

How much more does methane contribute to global warming compare to carbon dioxide over five years?

Answer 30

100X

Question 31

What does it mean when the gas supply decreases two fold every two years?

Answer 31

Every two years the amount of natural gas available is half what it was two years ago. This means you have to be frack twice as much as the last two years in order to get the same amount

Question 32

Is natural gas therefore a transition feel if it produces so much methane?

Answer 32

No

Question 33

What is a flourish term used to describe accidents involving fracking?

Answer 33

“Fraccidents”

Question 34

What do Cuadrilla and other fracking companies state they will do to mitigate the effects of noise pollution from the trucks?

Answer 34

Plan routes and roads for the tracks to take to their affect less of the residents

Question 35

What were the magnitude of the two earthquakes that were recorded in exploratory fracking by Cuadrilla in 2011?

Answer 35

1.5 and 2.3

Question 36

What could be the damage of HGV’s upon the road infrastructure?

Answer 36

Damaging wearing out