The Good, Bad and Ugly of Fracking Essay Example for Free

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Fracking Essay There is a gold rush going on right now. Man is breaking the earth, looking for natural gas. It’s a mad scene, with hucksters on every side of the issue. There is a lot going on underground and that process is called Fracking. The word alone can stir up controversy. The process of extracting natural gas through hydraulic fracturing or â€Å"fracking,† might summon in someone’s imagination an environment and damaged communities. Natural gas hides from sight it is invisible. Perhaps envisioned a prettier picture—one that involves clean-burning fuel, job growth and affordable energy. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) states that fracking â€Å"is the process of injecting large volumes of water, sand and chemicals into the ground at high pressure to break up shale formation allowing more efficient recovery of oil and gas† (Walter). This practice has grown rapidly over the course of the last decade thanks to improved technologies, but it also has fostered debates concerning its environmental, health and safety impact along the way. The process of hydraulic fracturing – shooting water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure into underground wells to release natural gas – is a divisive issue. Some say it dumps chemicals into ground water supplies; others argue it causes earthquakes, and still others think it can revolutionize America’s energy industry. Environmentalists argue that fracking contaminates ground and surface water – a charge the gas companies deny. Here’s the problem: the fracking process begins with a well drilled deep underground. Horizontal passages are then drilled outward from the bottom of the well. Water, sand and chemicals are pumped at high pressure through the water is insignificant, and it has never been proven that those chemicals rise ground water supplies. On the other hand, environmentalists say the downward drilling process, if done poorly, releases chemicals into both ground and surface water. Both arguments are strong, which is why no one can agree whether fracking is a good or bad thing. The science is not settled; arguments are hurled back and forth by both gas companies and environmentalists. On the earthquake issue, seismologists say it is possible fracking can cause small earthquakes. The British Geological Survey researched the Blackpool earthquakes, and the conclusion was reasonable. However, they did come back and say, â€Å"the chances of getting a very large earthquake are insignificant† (Walter). Meanwhile, a contaminated water supply is a hotly-debated issue: there have been cases where fracking has polluted water supplies as a result of poor oversight and procedures, but it does seem that if done correctly, fracking is not nearly as environmentally disruptive as traditional oil and gas extraction. One thing that is settled are the benefits homegrown natural gas adds to the US energy industry. As chemist and author rich Trzupek wrote recently: â€Å"America has become, in the eyes of energy professions, the Saudi Arabia of natural gas thanks to shale gas. The doe estimates that shale gas reserves alone are 750 trillion cubic feet. (McGraw). Combines with other domestic sources of natural gas, the United States has enough natural gas to last for over a century, and the numbers continue to climb. In areas where shale gas drilling is happening, the good times are rolling. Not only are people making money from the energy sales, jobs are created down the line, from the companies who support drilling operations down to the service industries that provide workers with food and shelter† (McGraw). According to Carlton Carroll, American Petroleum Institute (API) the oil and natural gas industry’s number one priority is safety. It is very important to maintain a perfect safety record but even one incident is way too many. In a December 2012 press release, API called the extraction from natural gas from shale â€Å"the most important domestic energy development in the last fifty years†¦poised to reshape American manufacturing. † And Chevron’s web site touts the practice for â€Å"providing the United States with reliable, affordable, cleaner and responsibly produced energy† (Walter). Developing these natural gas resources can help enhance the country’s energy security, strengthen local and state economies, and fuel job growth. Many Americans, oppose any kind of pollution. However, here are reasons to support fracking: 1. It can lead to our nation becoming energy independent 2. It will provide an enormous boost to our state and local economies 3. It has already driven down natural gas prices to the point where utilities are replacing dirty coal-fired power plants with cleaner natural gas-burning plans and increasingly vehicles are burning natural gas instead of dirtier gasoline 4. It will provide many well-paying jobs to geologists, well drillers, office workers, truck drivers, construction workers, and many more. So what is the snag—and how serious is it? Communities where fracking has taken place, notably in Ohio and Pennsylvania, protest the noise and scarring of the landscaping during the initial explorations. Restoration and compensation can better those concerns. The most significant fear is that the wastewater with chemicals from the fracking process, called, flowback, can contaminate the aquifers and drinking water. State regulators in Alaska, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, Pennslvania, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming have stated that there have been no verified or documented cases of groundwater contamination as a result of hydraulic fracking (Zuckerman). The process uses about 99 percent water and sand, the rest being a solution of a few chemicals (Zuckerman). Most drilling experts have asserted that it is highly improbable that fracking liquids will contaminate drinking water. Fortunately, no cases exist in which the fracking process itself has caused drilling liquids to contaminate drinking water. The issue then is whether the flowback hazard can remain at acceptable levels. The real risk of water contamination comes from these flowback fluids leaking into streams or seeping down into groundwater after reaching the surface. This can be caused by leaky wellheads, holding tanks or blowouts. Wellheads are made sufficiently safe to prevent this eventuality; holding tanks can be made secure; and blowouts, while problematic, are like all accidents caused by human error. The energy industry has long stressed that fracking and water contamination has never been definitibely linked.

The Skills and Qualities Necessary Required to Establish and Maintain a

The Skills and Qualities Necessary Required to Establish and Maintain an Effective Working Relationship In this essay I have chosen to explore the skills and qualities required to establish and maintain an effective working relationship with my mentor in practice in the role of supervisee. I will discuss communication skills, willingness to learn, self-awareness, assertiveness, open-mindedness, reflective skills as criteria of mentee to establish working relationship with mentor. The term mentor originates from Greek mythology, was first introduce in academic and business world of north America (Laurent 1998) used in United Kingdom with the implementation of project 2000 in the national health service (Bracken 1989) to help smooth transition from student to professional. (Philips et al 1996, Grey M and Smith1999). The dictionary defines a mentor as a trusted counselor or guide. A mentor is generally an influential, experienced individual with whom mentee establish a personal relationship and who actively helps mentee reach their goals. The terms mentorship are designated to staff nurses who engage in a multitude of roles supporting student nurses in the clinical setting. (Quinn2000). And reducing the theory practice gap (Earnsaw 1995). Mentorship is a mechanism that promotes safe and effective practice, maintains standards and accountability, and develops nurse practitioners autonomy. Proctor (1998) has grouped supervisees' skills under three functions: formative, supportive and normative. Supervisee should be keen, capable, trustworthy, attentive, ... ...ellor:Acyclical Model. 2nd Edition. London. Roultedge. Power S (1999) Nursing Supervision. A guide for clinical practice. London: Sage. Proctor (1988) supervision: a working alliance. London: Alexia, Scanlon C, Weir W S (197) learning from practice? Mental health nurses' perceptions and experiences of clinical supervision. Journal of advanced nursing 26,295-303. Watson N. A., 1999. Mentoring today-the students' views. An investigative case study of pre-registration nursing students' experiences and perceptions of mentoring in one theory/practice module of the Common Foundation Programme on a Project 2000 course. Journal of Advanced Nursing 29, pp. 254-262. Wong S (1979) Nurse teacher behaviour in clinical field:Apparent effects on nursing students' learning. Journal of advance learning, 3 ,369-378 The Skills and Qualities Necessary Required to Establish and Maintain a The Skills and Qualities Necessary Required to Establish and Maintain an Effective Working Relationship In this essay I have chosen to explore the skills and qualities required to establish and maintain an effective working relationship with my mentor in practice in the role of supervisee. I will discuss communication skills, willingness to learn, self-awareness, assertiveness, open-mindedness, reflective skills as criteria of mentee to establish working relationship with mentor. The term mentor originates from Greek mythology, was first introduce in academic and business world of north America (Laurent 1998) used in United Kingdom with the implementation of project 2000 in the national health service (Bracken 1989) to help smooth transition from student to professional. (Philips et al 1996, Grey M and Smith1999). The dictionary defines a mentor as a trusted counselor or guide. A mentor is generally an influential, experienced individual with whom mentee establish a personal relationship and who actively helps mentee reach their goals. The terms mentorship are designated to staff nurses who engage in a multitude of roles supporting student nurses in the clinical setting. (Quinn2000). And reducing the theory practice gap (Earnsaw 1995). Mentorship is a mechanism that promotes safe and effective practice, maintains standards and accountability, and develops nurse practitioners autonomy. Proctor (1998) has grouped supervisees' skills under three functions: formative, supportive and normative. Supervisee should be keen, capable, trustworthy, attentive, ... ...ellor:Acyclical Model. 2nd Edition. London. Roultedge. Power S (1999) Nursing Supervision. A guide for clinical practice. London: Sage. Proctor (1988) supervision: a working alliance. London: Alexia, Scanlon C, Weir W S (197) learning from practice? Mental health nurses' perceptions and experiences of clinical supervision. Journal of advanced nursing 26,295-303. Watson N. A., 1999. Mentoring today-the students' views. An investigative case study of pre-registration nursing students' experiences and perceptions of mentoring in one theory/practice module of the Common Foundation Programme on a Project 2000 course. Journal of Advanced Nursing 29, pp. 254-262. Wong S (1979) Nurse teacher behaviour in clinical field:Apparent effects on nursing students' learning. Journal of advance learning, 3 ,369-378

International Oil and National Security Essay

When oil fueled the navies of both Britain and the United States in World War I, it began the tremendous impact oil would have on the world. When British and French forces were threatened with oil shortages, the US gave the much needed help. Without the same assistance, Germany had to shorten critical operations. Since military hardware were all dependent on oil for power it became important that their countries have access to oil. Britain had access to Middle East oil and the United States had the oil from the Caribbean. After the war, Britain and the United States continued to dominate the oil industry of the world. The US has 4 large oil companies and Britain has 2. From the experience of World War II, control of the oil production for use in the military explains the success of the US and the defeat of Germany and Japan. The US rebuilt Europe and Japan with the assurance of oil supply. US had enough Venezuelan oil for its needs, set its eyes on the oil-rich Middle East. Oil is also seen as an important commodity for industries. To ensure its access Britain acquired concession rights on the oil of Iran, but it was not enough. The governments of Latin America refused to allow foreign government’s participation in their oil industries. Excessive supply had to be jointly managed which paved the way for developing oil sources in Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait, as well as Mexico and Venezuela. The threat of war with Mexico and a crisis in Venezuela was defused with settlements and concessions. The lesson for the British was not ownership of oil reserves but control of sea routes that had more impact. A growing concern that US oil reserves are nearing depletion prompted oil companies to seek additional sources in order to serve domestic demand and supply foreign markets. They shifted their attention from the Caribbean to the Middle East. There has been a noted change in the structure of the global oil industry as well as in the triggers of consumption. The oil industry is important to national security, comes from non-renewable sources and oil reserves is dependent on the demand and supply of the commodity. The seven oil majors control 90% of oil reserves, produce 90% of oil, have a 75% refining capacity, and trade 90% of oil in the global market. In the middle of the 1950s there were small entrants, who challenged the majors, and who sold their oil at low prices. These pushed the world prices of oil downward. Oil consumption is a big part of the economy. Construction of highways and railways, purchase and registration of cars and trucks make America a great motoring nation and consequently a high gas-consuming public. Ever conscious of maintaining reserves the US relied heavily on oil imports to sustain its energy needs. As the Middle East has become its largest energy source, the US government is much concerned with maintaining the security and stability in the Middle East. Policy makers are looking for alternative, diversified and renewable fuel sources, efficient utilization and conservation measures to reduce the country’s dependence on oil imports taking into account their costs and benefits.

The Slaughterhouse Five Novel By Kurt Vonnegut - 1366 Words

The Slaughterhouse Five novel, is a fictional and nonfictional delight all clashed into one. The author, Kurt Vonnegut, amazingly combines a fictional character’s life with the nonfictional influence of what Kurt himself had experienced. As well as major topics being debated on and dealt with today. Billy Pilgrim takes hold of the story’s main protagonist as a prisoner of war during the Dresden raids in eastern Germany. While reading, I found many relationships in the novel to common concerns, such as time and death; too correlated opinions from other anti-war enthusiasts. Particularly, time, is the main motive behind the life of Billy Pilgrim. Over the course of the book there is no chronological order. All back and forth to one, or†¦show more content†¦But Billy can see his birth and death! Sure, some of our moms recorded our birth, but what if we could see our death! I can not fathom watching myself die, when I think about death I pray it is fast and peaceful. Only time will tell if my prayer will be heard. Similar to time, is death, Billy experienced a lot of this during the war. Death was on a regular basis throughout Billy’s life. â€Å"...Billy uncorked it with his thumbs. It didn’t make a pop. The champagne was dead. So it goes†(Vonnegut 93). Obviously champagne isn’t a big deal for us, but what about this passage, â€Å"Only the candles and the soap were of German origin. They had ghostly, opalescent similarity. The British had no way of knowing it, but the candles and the soap were made from the fat of rendered Jews and Gypsies and fairies and communists, and other enemies of the State. So it goes†(Vonnegut 122). I was saddened by this, I did not know the Germans had done this, It reminds me of the Nazi concentration camps. Resulting in the Holocaust, costing the lives of over 6 million enemies, or Jews, of the state. From my high school textbooks I remember that most Jews ran most of the banks in Germany before the war, eventually the Depression would hit and I wouldn’t doubt that the Jews were blamed falsely. I think of Zinn now because the Jews didn’t create the Depression, and the events following that would seal their fate in prison camps. Like the W.A.S.P.S or White Anglo