The Franking Process - Paper Example

The documentary was produced in June 2010 by Josh Fox focusing on the community of the United States which were affected by the natural gas drilling specifically by horizontal drilling. It was produced with the aim of mobilizing for anti-fracking due to the health and a safety issue imposed on the community and environment (Fox 2010).

The documentary begins by exploring America rural landowners who one day wake up and find a worthwhile offer from ono of the energy firms which is willing buy their lands. A discovery extracting from the underground through hydraulic drilling process fracking discovered by Halliburton reached the Americans who wanted to be the energy superpower. The method is used to extract gas locked up in the shale which is hard to obtain.

Josh Fox was one of the landowners received $100,000 bid from a natural gas company which was interested buying his land to extract gas. He then decided to research the fracking process whereby he interviewed residents living near the drilling sites. What he found out was frightening; the wells were contaminated, the taps could easily be set on fire, and the drinking water was full of dangerous chemicals. Most of the community members were suffering from several illnesses caused by drinking water contaminated with benzene and hydrocarbons (Fox 2010).

How fracking works

The process of fracking begins by drilling wells into the shale vertically and then horizontally. It is done by fracturing the rocks through explosive charges. The process involves pumping of toxic mixtures of over 500 chemicals which are pumped into the rocks under pressure followed by a huge volume of water which dissolves the natural gas. Half of the water is then pumped out and disposed of (Hughes 2014).

The documentary reveals how the organizations formed to protect human lives have forsaken their duties. In one of the act, he tells how the government wanted to make changes with the aim of exempting those companies from the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and other environmental regulation. The companies were only interested in maximizing the economic return and later leave the place without making any remedy to reduce the danger imposed. One of the solutions that the company ought to take is landfill the scene and dispose of the water without exposing it to the environment.

Dangers imposed by fracking

The franking process injects many toxic materials directly into the underground water used by human beings. The poisonous gases are unearthed thus easy to penetrate into the water supply, and others evaporate into the atmosphere where people inhale. The chemicals are responsible for increased dangerous diseases like cancer, children born with defects and disorders of the nervous system. Consequently, the franking impacts the climate due to the methane exposed to the air which is associated with heat-trapping. The film shows that the methane gas leaks at every stage of the fracking. This leads to increase the rate of ozone warming (Frehne 2017).

Conclusion

The documentary has been of high impact to the community and the entire USA. It reviews our duty and responsibilities in protecting the environment through ensuring healthy practices. The act by the government to remove legislative acts on fracking is perverse and evil deed which shows its failure to protect the human life. The community especially those living in those mining areas should come together and condemn the process for their safety. Additionally, the industries carrying out the drills should take responsibility for protecting human life by coming up with remedy strategies meant to minimize the danger imposed.

References

Fox, J. (2010). Gasland (documentary). United States: New Video Group.

Frehner, B. (2017). Gasland; FrackNation; and Fracking: The New Energy Rush.

Hughes, H. A. (2014). Green documentary: Environmental documentary in the 21st century. Intellect Books.