Shale Oil Case Summary

In the article, “Being Green at Ben And Jerry’s”, many rhetorical devices are used to establish an argument. The article is arguing for the oil drilling in Keystone National park, located in Alaska. Many facts and statistics are used to make logical appeals, ethical appeals are established through those facts and statistics because they make the article credible. Finally, pathos is already established in the title of the article and continues to be reiterated throughout it.

Environmentalists are one the biggest critics against the notion of increasing domestic oil drilling. By increasing the amount of drilling we do in the United States, we increase the risk of disasters like the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Disasters are hardly the only source of economic damage either, to find oil reserves under the ocean, seismic waves are generated into the ground. These waves bounce off the ground back up to the ship, where computers and scientist can use the results to make educated guesses on whether or not oil is located under the surface. These seismic waves can wreak havoc with marine animals like whales; where in one case over 100 whales beached themselves to get away from the painful experience (Nixon). Using seismic waves does not even guarantee that oil might be located underneath the surface, the only way to tell is to actually drill into the potential finds causing even more destruction for what might be for no gain. Once oil is found and drilling has begun, the amount of damage done to the environment can become unimaginable. The recent example is that of the Deepwater

With gas prices on a slow rise it is no surprise that the United States has a huge dependency on oil. In a recent statistic from the US Energy Information Administration stated that in 2012 alone roughly 10.6 million barrels of petroleum were imported into the US daily. Most recently BP was accused of spilling approximately 470 to 1228 gallons of oil. And in recent past the major oil spill with in the Gulf of Mexico which occurred in 2010 that is by many is considered to be the worst oil spill in US history. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil was leaked into the Gulf coast. Being detrimental to not only wildlife but also has a huge impact on the planets general population as well. Most if not all forms of transportation with a large portion being cars run on oil and little alternatives to what can be used as a substitute. With such a high dependency on oil as well as being a high risk factor why hasn’t the US looked to other forms of energy that are both clean and efficient? Many countries have found alternative ways to supply energy. Most notably Sweden, in which in later years has been noted to actually import waste to use for their energy. If a viable energy alternative is not implemented then dependency on oil may inevitably deteriorate the infrastructure in which this country is operated upon as well as consequently negatively affect natural resources and wildlife to a point in which it will be near impossible to rehabilitate.

Each time a person residing in the United States pulls up to a gas station to fill their tank it costs more money. This is particularly true of the past four years. Many focus the blame on the American Government but there are a multitude of factors causing gasoline prices to be so astronomically high. Middle eastern war, environmental precautions and government all seem to have a hand in the price we pay at the pump.

In America poverty is a problem; fracking helped with this problem because it crated job opportunities. Although people in America have had a hard time finding good paying jobs, fracking has helped solve this problem. Ed Rendell confirms that “natural gas restores jobs for hardworking Americans”, and it created “thousands of solid jobs with good salaries”. While fracking helped people who are having troubles finding jobs, but it also creates new opportunities for other things like businesses. Ed Rendell points out that “It’s already creating new opportunities consumers and businesses and promoting economic growth”. Another thing that has benefitted from fracking is construction industries. Ed Rendell states that “steel, lumber, and construction

Texas has always been proud of their heritage and their industry. The boost in the economy is much appreciated by Texas, and our government appears to be hushed by the counter weights and balances where money appears to overpower the concern of environmental harm. Two articles that were reviewed gave the opportunity to enlightened Texans about how production appears to be affecting air quality and water and in turn is hurting Texans’ health. Through facts presented, it is apparent that Texas government must take measures to improve the regulatory agencies so that the health of Texans is secure. I am personally appalled by the facts stated in the articles, and reform is definitely required.

With proper management of risks, the use of fracking (which he notes the public is very much against), can be extremely advantageous, even though in the northeast, he says “gas companies are demonized as Satan.” Once again, that is a strong, negative statement against his side, but taken in context sounds ridiculous. In that case, throughout the whole essay he uses statements that others say about his side, which sound laughably crazy. He does end on a note that to not use this gift of shale gas would be a crime (Brooks 240). Throughout the whole essay, the way he delegitimizes his argument but builds it back up through use of clever rhetoric and shifting tones convinces the reader that the gathering of shale gas through fracking is actually the best, economic and practical

What is Marcellus Shale? It is a marine sedimentary rock buried thousands of feet beneath the earths surfaces. Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock groups and is formed in four main ways: by the deposition of the weathered remains of other rocks; by the accumulation and the consolidation of sediments; by the deposition of the results of biogenic activity; and by precipitation from solution. Marcellus Shale is found throughout the Allegheny Plateau region of the northern Appalachian basin of North America. It stretches from upstate New York south through Pennsylvania to West Virginia and west to parts of Ohio. Marcellus shale was named after a town in upstate New York, the rock itself is millions of years old, formed from mud and other natural materials. Its made up of the formation of black shale that may contain lime stone beds and concentrations of iron pyrite and siderite. The Sedimentary beds and structure is very well developed. Lighter colored shales in the upper portion of the formation tend to split into small thin edged fragments after exposure. The fragments may have and leave rust stains from exposure of pyrite to air, and tiny gypsum crystals from the reaction between both of the fragments pyrite and the limestone particles. Fresh exposures of the pyriteiferous shale may develop the secondary mineralization of orange limonite and the pale yellow efflorescence or bloom of sulfur, associated with acid

Shale gas controversy has been ongoing in New Brunswick for a number of years now, when the outgone Congressive premier: David Alward refused to stop the commencement of shale fracking in the region, there was an upsurge by the residents. Fracking is a form of natural gas extraction, where millions of gallons of pressurized and chemical-treated water are pumped into shale to extract gases embedded in the deposits.

Alvarado. First, environmental consequences may have affected David, as well as residents of his community, most severely. Throughout the entire interview with Mr. MacDonald and the countless tragedies that he and his community had to ensue due to fracking, the most heart wrenching of all was his battle with cancer. David remembers, “Three of us friends live within 5 miles, all have well water, all went to the Methodist Church, and all were diagnosed with left kidney cancer…I quit the Methodist Church, just in case…I had stage three along with Job, and Bill had stage one. Bill ended up dying.” Statistically, the lifetime risk for developing kidney cancer is 1 in 63, or 1.6%. However, Doctor’s claim that the odds of all three men being diagnosed with left kidney cancer is miniscule. The fact that all three men lived within 5 miles of each other and drank well water and developed the same rare form of cancer is a devastating example of the effects caused by the cancerous chemicals used during fracking. In fact, David sought a professional’s opinion and discovered, “Doctors and environmental engineers verified that Benzene (used in fracking) caused kidney cancer. The engineer also verified that radioactive materials were used and are in the land”. The evidence is clear and apparent, and exemplifies the problems with fracking in the DFW Metroplex and the deadly effects it can have on friends and communities. As far as the visual distortion of the tap water, David informed me that, “Our water was almost orange, it stained white clothes so badly you had

The Eagle Ford shale formation in south Texas has recently become the focus of many oil industry operators searching for new sources of hydrocarbons by using the latest technology in previously unexplored areas. This exploration enhances the development of even more advanced techniques as issues are identified and problems solved to address the unique properties of the formation and the surrounding surface environment. Even though a formation may be comprised of a single sedimentary layer from a similar geological time frame it is not a homogeneous block and has many features and anomalies that effect the pressure, permeability, type of hydrocarbons trapped and methods required to extract them. To understand these properties one must understand that shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock that forms from the compaction of silt and clay placing it in the mudstone category of rocks [1]. Shale is different from other rocks in this category because it has a fissile structure and is laminated. The black shale in the Eagle Ford formation (Fig 1.) has a special property such that it contained organic material when it was deposited and during compaction over a millennium, the organic materials were converted into trapped oil and gas hydrocarbon deposits. This oil and gas are very difficult to remove because it is trapped within tiny pore spaces and or adsorbed onto clay mineral particles that makeup the shale.

Marcellus Shale, also known, as the Marcellus Formation, is black, organically rich, shale that exists underneath the surface of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia. The shale is located roughly one mile below the surface of these states and has an estimated 141 trillion cubic feet of attainable natural gas. As of 2015, Marcellus shale gas wells were reportedly yielding 14.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (“Marcellus Shale - Appalachian Basin Natural Gas Play”). This shale discovery is known as one of the largest natural gas reserves in the United States, and this underground gas is now reachable thanks to hydraulic fracturing and horizontally drilling. These two techniques, when used in combination, have enabled gas producers to extract shale gas both rapidly and economically” (“The Marcellus Shale Gas Boom”). Although, there are many myths and disagreements with the way America gets this natural gas, it has proven to have more advantages than disadvantages.

The Barnett Shale in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas was deposited during the Mississippian period (Osagean to Chesterian) in a basinal setting (Hass, 1953; Lane, 1974; Hamilton and Asquith, 2001; Broadhead, 2006; Ruppel and Kane, 2006; Osterlund, 2012). Deposition was below storm-wave base and also beneath the oxygen-minimum zone (OMZ) (Gutschick and Sandberg, 1983; Ruppel and Kane, 2006; Miall, 2008). Yurewicz (1977) estimated water depths between 300 to 750 ft (90 and 230 m) for the age-equivalent Rancheria Formation in New Mexico. A modified sea-level curve (Figure 1) Ross and Ross 1987) suggests that Barnett deposition (Osagean to Chesterian) occurred during a second-order sea-level highstand with multitude of third-order sea-level

Oil Drilling has many effects on the environment from the air we breathe to the oceans that inhabit many species. While one of the outcomes of oil drilling is money, it is forgotten that money won’t help repair all of the damage that is done to mother nature. Not only does the outcome of drilling for fossil fuels affect the oceans, rainforest, etc. it also has an effect on local business’ and the health of humans. If people want change, they need to be the

The fact that so much oil is being taken out of the ground is causing problems because the more that is being taken out the higher the prices will be. According to the Toronto Star “We’re going to have a massive crisis as the cheap petroleum runs out” (Zerbisias3). As the prices increase the more conflicts will arise between countries. All of the oil being exported is majorly used for the transportation and production of energy in other countries. All of hydrocarbon molecules that make up crude oil and petroleum products are highly toxic to many organisms, including humans. The Maclean’s journal states that “ If everyone in North America started driving hybrid cars tomorrow, it would contribute just a fraction of the overall reduction needed to cut global emissions 50 per cent by 2050” (Colin2). If everyone around the world would drive hybrid cars it would make a big difference in the world. All of the toxins being released by the crude oil are of the main reasons why global warming is getting worst and worst as time goes by.