Zachary Phelps

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1103

02/09/2015

Topic Proposal: What in the World is Hydraulic Fracturing?

Introduction

What is hydraulic fracturing, how does it work, and what effects does it have on the

environment? I will be examining how the process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) works, how

it is beneficial to society, and how it effects the environment. According to the Environmental

Protection Agency, “hydraulic fracturing produces fractures in the rock formation that stimulate

the flow of natural gas or oil, increasing the volumes that can be recovered. Wells may be drilled

vertically hundreds to thousands of feet below the land surface and may include horizontal or

directional sections extending thousands of feet.” In essence, a chemical mixture is injected

thousands of feet underground to fracture and split shale rock formations that contain natural gas

to allow it to escape easier to the surface. It is then harvested and used for energy production

purposes.

A majority of the websites that I have used and will be using are government operated

and educational websites such as EPA.gov and college websites with scholarly articles.

Additionally, I will be using certain news stories and articles with incidents and coverage of

fracking. As my research continues, this list of websites and sources will grow dramatically.

MaryAlex Thompson� 2/10/2015 10:48 AMComment [1]: This  is  a  little  repetitive.    Maybe  keep  the  second  sentence  and  take  out  the  first.    

MaryAlex Thompson� 2/10/2015 10:49 AMComment [2]: Quote  is  a  little  long.  You  may  not  need  this  part.    It  is  a  little  confusing  for  the  reader.  

MaryAlex Thompson� 2/10/2015 10:50 AMComment [3]: Good!  This  is  super  helpful  because  it  makes  the  paper  look  reliable.  

Many people have different opinions about fracking. Environmentalists suggest that

fracking negatively impacts our environment while energy corporations deny that anything

negative happens to the environment. Both sides have been going back and forth over the issue

for years now and I will be going in depth and examining the real facts about how fracking

works and affects the environments.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

Does hydraulic fracturing negatively impact the environment? How does hydraulic

fracturing impact the environment? How does hydraulic fracturing work? Can fracking be done

safely? How did fracking become a means of harvesting resources?

My Interest in this Topic

I am interested in researching this topic because it is an extremely controversial topic that

is relevant in today’s society. Today, we are searching for new and innovative ways to gather

natural resources effectively and this may be one of the solutions. I know how the process of

fracking works, but I hope to learn how it impacts the environment and how beneficial the

resources harvested are.

Next Steps

I will be visiting various government websites and energy corporation websites to gather

information on how the process of fracking works and how it affects the environment. I will also

use unbiased news sources to see if there were any incidents created by fracking and the

harvesting of natural gas. I will also use the library to find scholarly articles, newspapers, and

academic journals that may help me further in my research.

MaryAlex Thompson� 2/10/2015 10:54 AMComment [4]: What  are  their  opinions?  There  is  very  little  evidence  or  research  here.    Maybe  try  to  get  a  quote  from  each  side  of  the  argument  to  let  the  reader  know  what  exactly  the  controversy  is  over.    

MaryAlex Thompson� 2/10/2015 10:51 AMComment [5]: What  side  do  you  lean  on?  Are  you  trying  to  disprove  one  side  or  the  other?  Are  you  trying  to  just  simply  lay  out  what  fracking  is  or  discuss  what  each  side  thinks  and  why?  What  are  each  sides  arguments?  

MaryAlex Thompson� 2/10/2015 10:53 AMComment [6]: How  does  this  directly  effect  you?  Did  you  work  for  a  company  that  uses  fracking?  Are  you  interested  in  pursuing  a  job  that  has  something  to  do  with  fracking  or  the  environment?  

Zack,

This seems like it is going to be a really good paper. You are lacking research though that is

needed to give your paper believability. It also seems a little impersonal. I as a reader am

curious in how does this affect you directly and why are you so invested to spend an entire

semester to research it. I also think you may want to include more about the controversy about

it. There is so much information about this and using this in your paper could make it much

more relevant to the reader. Maybe also talk about how it would affect our environment or our

everyday lives. Could it raise/lower prices of oil? Should we be concerned for our children’s

futures? Could this impact certain career fields? Where are companies’ fracking (relate to the

reader—is it happening in their own backyard?) I think with a little more editing this could be a

great topic proposal!

Max