Natural Gas is just one of many non-renewable natural resources that we exploit from the Earth for our own benefit. There are many problems that arise from the natural gas pipelines, from the industries that extract it, to the government that regulates it. From beginning to end the natural gas pipeline industry is an overall danger to humans and the environment because of the fracking process, the natural gas pipeline installations, and a government who prioritizes the economy over safety. The entire process begins with the removal of the natural gas from the ground. The extraction process requires clearing the land and drilling and fracking deep into the Earth where gas-filled shale deposits lie.
According to a research study conducted by the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Wyoming, the most detrimental problems that come with fracking are the contamination from chemicals, and the climate change impact from the methane released. The entire fracking process can require over 40,000 gallons of chemicals, and in many cases these chemicals have contaminated the soil and groundwater where they can be exposed to people. An article written in the journal Human and Ecological Risk Assessment examined the potential health impacts of oil and gas drilling in relation to the chemicals used during the fracking of natural gas. 632 chemicals were identified from drilling operations throughout the United States. The research found that 75% of the chemicals could affect the skin, eyes, and other sensory organs, and the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. Approximately 40–50% could affect the brain/nervous system, immune and cardiovascular systems, and the kidneys; 37% could affect the endocrine system; and 25% could cause cancer and mutations.
Although there are certain regulations that attempt to prevent these chemicals from encountering humans, is it even worth the risk to put these dangerous toxins in our environment? Another scenario in which the fracking industry is harming our environment is through the release of methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that happens to be a main component of natural gas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that a large amount of the methane produced from fracking wells escapes into the atmosphere, where it is 25% more potent in the trapping of heat than carbon dioxide. This is just another factor that is assisting in the increasing of the global temperature. In addition to the tribulations resulting from the extraction, another problem that arises from the natural gas industry are the pipelines built across the United States used to transport the newly acquired gas. Natural gas pipelines are an immense problem for many reasons including the taking of private property and the safety risks associated with living near the gas pipelines. The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) is the governmental agency that approves all the constructions of natural gas pipelines. After a review, they can grant the power of eminent domain on the pipeline industry in which the government seizes and condemns private property.
Using the power of eminent domain, the pipeline industries, seize land to build these pipelines, regardless of the location. Someone’s house? A neighborhood? Once the pipeline is built, anyone who lives near of it must be wary of the fact it could always potentially explode. So why don’t these people just move away? Well if a natural gas pipeline is the new neighbor, the value of houses decrease making it almost impossible to sell at its original value. As a result, families are forced to stay in their danger zone houses because they are unable to buy a new house. Shouldn’t the people get a say in whether they want a natural gas pipeline built next to their houses? Not when there is eminent domain, which gives the government the right to seize and use any private property for their own public use. People will continue to boycott the idea of these gas-filled monsters residing in our neighborhoods, but until enough people are aware of this problem, the government will continue to harm our Earth while putting people at risk.