水力压裂:617888九五至尊娱乐、政策和人

What is fracking?

Fracking is a technique used to extract oil or gas from underground shale formations. A mixture of water, 沙子和化学物质在高压下注入岩石, causing it to fracture (crack). 这使得岩石中的石油和天然气得以回收, 通常是从以前难以获得的或不经济的资源中开采的. While industry often uses the word “fracking” to refer only to the specific fracturing step, the word is also commonly used to encompass the entire process of unconventional oil and gas development, including drilling, injection, production, and waste disposal.

Fracking is not a new technique, 但是最近的技术进步, such as horizontal drilling, 刺激了水力压裂法在美国的迅速扩张. The U.S. 美国能源部预计，到2040年，将近一半的美国能源市场将会萎缩.S. natural gas production and more than half of oil production in the lower 48 states will come from sites that employ fracking.

权衡水力压裂法的利弊

水力压裂的风险和好处都是有争议的, and communities need the help of science to sift through the conflicting narratives and focus on the evidence.

On the plus side, 水力压裂法的支持者指出了降低能源价格等好处, 与煤炭相比，减少了全球变暖的排放, and a stronger economy. 批评人士指出，天然气, while preferable to coal, is not a climate panacea—and that local economic benefits of fracking may be short-lived, following a boom and bust cycle that disrupts the character and strains the resources of the host community.

Opponents point to public health concerns and environmental harms such as water contamination, air pollution, and increased earthquake risk near fracking sites; fracking advocates counter that all energy technologies have some environmental impact, 而且没有足够的证据证明限制水力压裂是合理的.

In July 2013, through a Lewis M. Branscomb Forum, 水力压裂的617888九五至尊娱乐、517888九五至尊娱乐和社区决策, we convened leading scientists, policymakers, journalists, 社区倡导考虑关于水力压裂的已知(和未知), 以及对公众讨论的影响, policy and governance.

水力压裂事实:信息鸿沟

Our understanding of fracking has not always kept pace with the technology’s rapid growth—and industry has done little to bridge that gap. Our 2013 report, 走向基于证据的水力压裂辩论, surveys our knowledge of fracking impacts and points out barriers to more complete information.

例如，压裂化学物质的确切成分可能是一个谜. In many places companies are not legally required to disclose what’s in their fracking fluid—and companies can often evade requirements by claiming specific chemicals as protected trade secrets.

关于水力压裂作业对环境影响的资料往往不足. Companies may prevent researchers from monitoring air or water quality at fracking sites—and even where such data is available, a shortage of baseline studies (which measure conditions before drilling begins) may make it hard to determine exactly what the impact of fracking has been.

Lawsuits against companies for harm caused by fracking operations can further clog the flow of information, since case settlements typically include nondisclosure agreements that prevent scientific data used in the case from being made public.

水力压裂政策:监管的拼凑

What has government done to ensure that fracking does not damage human health or the environment? 答案取决于你住在哪里.

While a number of federal environmental laws could potentially be used to regulate fracking, those laws often include loopholes that exempt the oil and gas industry from their provisions. 《517888九五至尊娱乐》, 《清洁水和清洁空气法案, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act are some of the federal safeguards that include such exemptions.

As a result, 监管主要由各州负责, 各州监管水力压裂法的法律差异很大. In some states, for example, disclosure of fracking chemicals is entirely voluntary; in others it is required, 但前提是要打好井, 这一要求通常包括商业秘密豁免. As of 2013, only eight states had passed laws requiring baseline water quality testing at fracking sites, 只有两个需要持续监测水质.

这些政策差距可以相互加强. In Wyoming, for example, 因为没有法律要求基线水测试, people who live near fracking sites must do their own testing—but with a limited chemical disclosure law, 很难确切地知道要检测哪些化学物质.

Our 2015 report, 非常规油气开发风险管理, 审查地方官员可以使用的工具范围, 取决于州法律和其他因素, 管理水力压裂作业对社区的影响.

水力压裂决策:社区和617888九五至尊娱乐家可以做什么

如果你生活在一个面临水力压裂决策的社区, 有很多方法可以让你有所作为, elevate the discussion, 推进以617888九五至尊娱乐为基础的政策. Our toolkit, Science, Democracy, and Fracking: A Guide for Community Residents and Policy Makers Facing Decisions over Hydraulic Fracturing，为有效参与提供了丰富的想法. 该工具包中的一些关键建议:

• Ask critical questions 关于水力压裂作业对公众健康的影响, the environment, the local economy, and quality of life.
• 寻找可靠的信息来源 来帮助你回答这些问题.
• Identify key stakeholders 在你的社区中谁可能会影响政策.
• 了解当地、州和联邦法规 这些都与水力压裂决策有关.
• 如果你是617888九五至尊娱乐家或技术专家， make your expertise available 致社区团体、媒体和政策制定者.