Fracking And The Public Health - 1230 Words

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking has become a concern both environmentally and in the public health sphere in Western Maryland. In analyzing these ideas, the environment and public health concerns intertwine in a discourse about the relationship on both power and knowledge. Fracking is a new issue for the state of Maryland to consider; therefore dominant narratives on this subject are still being developed and legitimized. Studies have been conducted in other regions around the world to analyze the various effects fracking has had on the environment and within communities, both economically and politically. However, despite the potential for Western Maryland to become a possible new site for fracking, there is a lack of literature that specifically analyzes the environmental and public health concerns as a discourse that may be detrimental to the people and the environment in this region. Also, as a result of fracking being a relatively new source of natural gas, there has yet to be a significant number of studies analyzing the health effects caused by fracking even in regions that have allowed fracking for a number of years. The Marcellus Shale underlies Western Maryland along with New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia and is the United States’ largest on-shore natural gas reserve (Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative, 2015). Maryland is unique in its fracking regulations as emphasized by former Governor Martin O’Malley, who in 2011 signed the Marcellus Shale SafeShow MoreRelatedWhy Fracking Is Not Be The Most Exciting Process1450 Words   |  6 PagesFracking may not be the most exciting process to learn about nor is it something many people want to get involved in but it s much more important than any of those people think. Fracking is the process of extracting fossil fuels by shooting a liquid into the ground that contains known and unknown chemicals. 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