Water use, water contamination, and induced seismic activity are three of the major risks often associated with hydraulic fracturing. As elaborated, however, hydraulic fracturing’s water use, when put into perspective, is quite low. Most scientific studies have found limited to no water contamination by hydraulic fracturing. And the induced seismic activity is completely and easily avoidable. Beyond these, what are some other risks or concerns you may have with hydraulic fracturing? Think about some property-rights, market-mechanism inspired ways these additional risks could be mitigated.
Responses
Private property rights can be a problem, as land where rights have been sold can be at times reduced value, in a manner previously sold air rights on a building in NYC changes value.
Risk involves an element of behavioral economics. Perhaps a better term for the technology will make it more appealing and earth friendly.
Possibly in the general mining area, swarm micro robots can replace the need for most of the water in the process.
It's not just the actual fracking process that poses a threat to water quality; it's the necessary infrastructure to transport the gas to market. Laying hundreds of miles of pipeline destroys natural resources and waterways from the production source to wherever it is going. Too often those environmental impacts, which are quite substantial, are ignored when people talk about fracking.
Beyond the environmental concern, there is the issue of pipelines and eminent domain. Private corporations are being given the right to take privately held land for their own profit. Land is confiscated and pipelines are put into the ground. These pipelines are not risk free. Google "natural gas pipeline explosion" and see what comes up. It's not pretty. Rare? Yes. But I do not believe that a private company should have the right to not only take a person's land from them against their will, but to then directly expose them to danger. These are not folks who signed over papers allowing drilling on their property; these are people who have their land taken and get nothing, or next to nothing, to show for it.
The secondary consequences of fracking are not being adequately addressed in the materials here.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding something but would the quality of the water used in the fracking process matter much? If it doesn't really matter how clean the water is then we could conceivably use water that is already non-potable.
Private property rights must be protected zealously with regard to any industry, especially with regard to ones that may have harder to see consequences for the layman.