Rae HeadrickI made the decision to discuss fracking inustry in PA. My project speaks to the risks that we as humans are taking in order to sustain our wasteful lifestyle. This particular set of text/images would be found in a local magazine due to its graphic nature, addition of personal voice, and moderately simple explanations, which aim to educate an audience that is relatively unfamiliar with the topic and environmental significance.

“We are all addicted to fossil fuel... As with all powerful addictions, this one can kill us.”

KAREN BERNARDIndiana Township

Hydraulic FracturingAs our needs for energy increase, the resources conventionally used to provide that energy decrease. Consequently, in the last 50 years, we’ve turned to less traditional forms of obtaining energy. One of which happens to be located right beneath your feet within the Marcellus Shale gas formation stretching across Pennsylvania. This land mark is one of the largest sources of natural gas in the world.

Unfortunately, the process used to extract the Shale’s natural gas requires immense amounts of energy and resource input with considerably hazardous outputs.

ProcessA steel pipe cased in cement is drilled roughly 5000 feet into the ground to reach the Marcellus Shale. Once the pathway is established, electrical currents travel down the pipes. As this electricity reaches the Shale, it punctures small holes into the piping, releasing itself to rupture the shale’s surface.

This initial breakage is then compressed and fractured further as a mixture of water, sand, and various chemicals are pushed through the holes created by electric pulse. Finally, as the shale fractures, natural gas is released to travel up to earth’s surface.

Pipe yard storing steel pipes for the hydraulic fracturing industry.

“Beyond increasing the income of a small minority of residents, the project will temporarily lower the price of natural gas, increase its use and perpetuate the effects of fossil fuel consumption by the energy hogs that we Americans represent...

By making more available nonrenewable fuel, we are welcoming our continued reliance on, and overuse of, energy, and in doing so we fail to accept or curtail its accelerating effects on our environment.”

MATTHEW MULDOONShadyside

Only 65% of the radioactive waste water produced by Pennsylvanian fracking sites are recycled. Even of this portion, many of the toxic substances within the water cannot be removed. Sewage treatment plants, for example, are asked to recycle and process fracking water waste though they do not have the capability to remove radioactivity. This recycled water will then either be diluted with fresh water and reused in the fracking process, or disposed of within underground waste wells.

However, the other 35% of waste water that is not recyled is unaccounted for and has either been thrown to the roadside or left in abandoned fracking stations.

Besides water, radioactive sediment is produced in the fracking process. Much of this is processed into ice-preventing road salt. The water runoffs created by melted snow and rain tend to carry the toxins from the salt into surrounding plant and animal habitats.

“Pennsylvania legislators made the unthinkable official: Drillers do not have to disclose all the toxic chemicals and radioactive substances contained in their fracking compounds and returning waste water.”

CLAUDIA DETWILERSquirrel Hill

Works CitedBegos, Kevin. “Colleges asked to dump fossil fuels.” Pittsburgh Post Gazzette. PG Publishing Co, 2 Dec 2013. Web. 27 March 2014. Brzycki, Elaine. Explore Shale. Penn State Public Broadcasting, Colcom Foundation. Web. 5 April 2014. Carey, James and Morris. “Clearing the air on the natural gas vs. fossil fuels debate.” Pittsburgh Post Gazette. PG Publishing Co, 27 Feb 2010. Web. 27 March 2014. Colucci, Rosa. “We continue to rely on fossil fuels to our detriment.” Staff Blogs-Pittsburgh Post Gazette. PG Publishing Co, 20 March 2010. Web. 27 March 2014. Dong, Linda. DangersofFracking.com. What Goes In and Out of Hydraulic Fracturing. Gas Land the Movie. Web 5 April, 2014. “Environmental Impact of Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Mar. 2014. Web. 05 Apr. 2014FLC News Link. The Newslink of the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, 2008. Web. 27 March 2014.Litvak, Anya. “Fossil fuel laboratory shake-up surprises.” Pittsburgh Post Gazette. PG Publishing Co, 21 Sep 2013. Web. 27 March 2014.“Marcellus Shale Gas Formation.” Pennsylvania Fracking. Web. 5 April 2014. McKibben, Bill. 350. US Advisory Counsel. Web. 27 March 2014.