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Student’s Name
Thesis Statement
Research suggests that Hydraulic fracturing is harmful to the environment, humans, and animals
because it releases gases and chemicals into drinking water, the air, and the soil.
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Annotated Bibliography
Bamberger, M. & Oswald, R. (2012). Impacts of Gas Drilling On Human And Animal Health.
New Solutions, 22(1), pp. 51-77.
In this source the authors briefly state their concerns about the health effects of gas and oil
drilling with a large emphasis on hydraulic fracturing or better known as fracking on animals and
humans. The authors provide what they call an imperfect study on the effects that drilling has on
animals and humans living in the area that drilling is being taken place. In the study they provide
a table chart with 24 different cases with different types of animals, the health impact on these
animals, and the type of gas well at the site. The authors also provide three detailed case studies
in which there was a loss of farming land, cattle, and some of the residents were sick.
Michelle Bomberger is a Veterinarian with a masters in pharmacology and works at Cornell
University. Dr. Robert E. Osdwald has a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Biochemistry and
currently is a Professor of Molecular Medicine at Cornell College.
This study was researched and will be used in the research paper to show the direct effects of
fracking on soil and water. It also shows the harmful side effects that the chemicals have on
animals.(Bamberger & Oswald, 2012)
Stolz, J. (2011, March 6). The Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction. Retrieved from
http://www.fractracker.org/2011/03/the-environmental-impacts-of-shale-gas-extraction/
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In this article the author describes the process that gas is extracted from Marcellus Shale using
Hydraulic fracturing. The author also describes how much water is used in the process and how
many trucks are needed to supply the massive quantity of water. He also describes what kinds of
gases are obtained from Marcellus Shale and how they are separated from each other. He also
lists other element that come out of the ground from drilling including naturally occurring
radioactive material, which is then either buried at the site or transferred to a landfill. The author
Dr. John F. Stolz works In the Department of Biological Sciences at Duquesne University. His
lab is funded by NASA, Heinz, and Colcom and one of the three primary functions of is lab is
well water quality testing, GIS base mapping, and microbiological testing of fluids associated
with Marcellus Shale. The author’s material will be used in the research paper as his work is
creditable and understandable. (Stolz, 2011)
Ohio, EPA. (2012, May). Understanding the Basics of Gas Flaring. Retrieved from
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/portals/0/General%20pdfs/gas%20flaring.pdf
This source is from the Ohio Department of Environmental Protection and describes the practice
in the Fracking industry known as Flaring. It describes why drilling sites, processing plants, and
compression sites sometimes have to flare because of safety reasons and testing reasons. This
source also covers some regulations that are in place and some that are going to start in January
2015. The document also touches base on why flaring is bad for the environment and also why it
is good to burn off methane rather then letting it go unburned. I could not find an author for this
source, but it comes from a state agency that regulates almost all industry, especially the gas, oil,
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and coal industries. This source will be in the research paper as flaring is one of the main causes
of air pollution in the fracking practice. (Ohio, EPA. 2012)
Esposito, M. (2013). Water Issues Set the Pace for Fracking Regulations and Global Shale Gas
Extraction. Tulane Journal of International & Comparative Law. 22 (1), pp. 167-190.
This article focuses mainly on the hazards of fracking on fresh water supplies, including using
massive quantities of fresh water and also polluting fresh water. There is a case where natural
gas from a fracking site is leaking into a residents water well and the water from the tap can be lit
and produce a flame. The author also states that disposal of the waste fracking water is also not
in good practice; in some areas wastewater is being shipped to other states for disposal. This is
due to the fact that some states are heavily regulating methods of disposal. This article also
discusses some of the rules and regulations that deal with the water side of fracking. Also
alternative methods to treating water and alternative fracking fluids that are being made that are
made out of food grade products are described in the article. The author is a graduate from USC
and is currently a J.D. candidate at Tulane university law school. This source will be used in the
research paper to describe the effects of fracking on the fresh water supplies and describe some
of the regulations in effect to protect the environment.(Esposito, M.2013)
Vidic, R., Brantley, S., Vandenbossche, J., Yoxtheimer, D., & Abad, J. (2013, May 17). Impact
of Shale Gas Development on Regional Water Quality. Science , 340(6134), pp. 1235009
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This article gives a background on the fracking process and why natural gas is being used.
Natural gas is being used because it gives off less CO2 then other fossil fuels when being burned.
As Natural gas is a better fuel to use it is not free from environmental risks. The article explains
that the hazards lay in regional water quality. The hazards come from sources such as gas
migration, contaminant transport through induced and natural fractures, wastewater discharge,
and accidental spills. Gas migration is a hazard because in one case a private water well
exploded due to high levels of methane in the well from fracking. This source also explains some
of the chemicals uses in hydraulic fracturing and what they actuals are used for in the process.
The authors are Adisav Vidic who is a Professor and Chair, Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Susan Brantley who is a Professor of
Geosciences at Penn State. Julie M. Vandenbossche who is a Assistant Professor of Geotechnical
and Pavements Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. David Yoxtheimer who is a
Hydrogeologist at Penn State University's Earth and Environmental Systems Institute. Jorge
Abad is an Assistant Professor of Water Resources Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.
This source is creditable due to the writers backgrounds and this source will be used in the
research paper to show that there are other problems with fracking other than the chemicals used.
(Vidic, Brantley, Vandenbossche, Yoxtheimer, & Abad, 2013)
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND
COMMERCE.(2011, April). CHEMICALS USED IN HYDRAULIC FRACTURING. Retrieved
from http://democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/sites/default/files/documents/HydraulicFracturing-Chemicals-2011-4-18.pdf
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In this document the House of Representatives lists all the chemicals that were provided to them
from gas drilling companies. This includes 750 chemicals in the 2,500 different hydraulic
fracturing products used between 2005 and 2009. During these years the companies used as
much as 780 million gallons of these products not including the water. Some of the chemicals
used were generally harmless including salt, citric acid, walnut shells, and instant coffee. 29
chemicals listed are known or possible human carcinogens and are in 650 different fracking
products. This document also lists all chemicals that are regulated by the clean air act and the
safe drinking water act. This source is creditable as most of the information provided to the
House of Representatives is provided by the drilling companies. This source will be used in the
research paper to show the effects of the chemicals used, on the environment. (UNITED
STATES, 2011)
Wedeking, J. (2013) UP IN THE AIR: THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING WILL BE ABOUT AIR, NOT WATER. Retrieved, from
http://www.uidaho.edu/~/media/Files/orgs/Law/law-review/2013-symposium/Up-in-the-Air.ashx
This source provides insight to the amount of pollutants that are created during the entire process
of hydraulic fracking. The author states that most of the air pollution comes from the burning of
diesel fuel from generators and other equipment used during the process. Pollution also comes
from fugitive leaking in joins of piping and other equipment that allows Methane to escape. The
author also writes about regulations and legislation with the Oil and Gas industry. In the articles
it states the EPA went from 1985 to 2012 without changing any regulations to the oil and Gas
industry while they change regulation with other industry much more frequent. The author Jim
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Wedeking is a staff attorney with Sidley Austin LLP's Washington, D.C. environmental group.
He has extensive experience with Clean Air Act litigation and regulatory issues. He writes in the
mind that future lawsuits with fracking will be with air pollution and not water and soil
contamination. This source may be used to show that air pollution caused by fracking is a huge
problem. (Wedeking,2013)
Hoffman, J. (2012) Potential Health and Environmental Effects of Hydrofracking in the Williston
Basin, Montana. Retrieved from Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College Website:
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/hydrofracking_w.html
In this source the author states that gas wells in Weld County, Colorado have about 4 percent of
the Methane produced escaping into the atmosphere. With Methane trapping 25 time more of the
sun’s heat then that of carbon dioxide that is equal to about one to three million cars. The author
also describes other air toxins released at drilling sites which cause short-term illness, cancer,
organ damage, nervous system disorders and birth defects or even death. There were also over
1,000 oil spills in North Dakota in 2011, with many spills going unreported. The author also
states that the chemicals used in fracking could cause health effects anywhere from skin and eye
irritation to cancer and mutations. I could not find much information on the author other than he
is associated with Carleton College. This sources is creditable and well cited much of the
information in this source comes from a study done by Montana State University. This source
will used in the research paper to show what effects air pollution from fracking has on the
environment as wells the human and animal factors.(Hoffman, 2012)
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Brown, V. (2014, February). Radionuclides in Fracking Wastewater: Managing a Toxic Blend.
Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 122 (Issue 2), p. A50-A55.
The author of this source discusses the contamination of radioactive radionucleotides in
wastewater that is produced by fracking Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale. Marcellus Shale holds
radioactive metals such as Uranium and Radon 226 witch is pulled out of the Shale and brought
to the surface in waste fracking water. The author also discusses waste storage problems such as
the use of deep injection wells for storing fracking wastewater, in which a study showed that
wastewater may possibly migrate into freshwater supplies because of the high pressure that the
wastewater is injected and the length of time it takes for the pressure to dissipate. The author
Valerie Brown has won a Society of Environmental Journalists’ Outstanding Explanatory
Reporting award and has been writing for Environmental Health Perspectives since 1996. This
source will be used in the research paper to show effects that fracking has on the soil and water.
(Brown, 2014)
Governor’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission. (2011, July 22). Final Report. Retrieved
from Department of Environmental Protection, State of Pennsylvania website:
http://files.dep.state.pa.us/PublicParticipation/MarcellusShaleAdvisoryCommission/MarcellusSh
aleAdvisoryPortalFiles/MSAC_Final_Report.pdf
This source is a complete report on the hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale in
Pennsylvania. This report covers topics including the laws and regulations in the gas and oil
industry in Pennsylvania, also included is the Department who enforce the regulations and some
of the specifics of the regulations. The report includes several high profile accidents that led to
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Methane escaping into the air, pollution of drinking water wells, pastures, and fresh water
streams. Also stated in the report is the concern of how much forest is being cleared by the
fracking industry, it is feared by 2030 up to 90,000 acres of forest may be cleared for the
industry. The report also states that air quality is a great concern as major greenhouse gases were
detected at almost every site where sampling was done. This source is creditable as coming from
a state government source. The information from this source will be used in the research paper to
show the impacts of hydraulic fracturing to the air, water and soil. (Governor’s Marcellus Shale
Advisory Commission. 2011)