Rebekkah Jones ENGL 1302 Expository Speech 25 Feb.

2013 Fracking These days man knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde We know the price to fill up our cars, and are temporarily satisfied when the price drops by cents; angry when it escalates (even though we all knew it was bound to happen). We know the price of the latest-and-greatest phone, and are happy when we can get it on sale on Black Friday. We know the price of a Starbucks Coffee, but are pleased with a free coffee from Racetrack during the holidays. All these prices have made homes in our minds, yet if we were pressed we would not be able to tell you the value of the land lost to building the newest oil rig. We have lost the value of thinking the land is Just like heaven. Everbody wants a little piece of lan (Steinbeck). We have lost the value of water, easily taken by granted by those who have constant access to a clean supply. We dont know the value of the constantly growing, delicate life systems surrounding our daily lives. Fracking is something that, with a few minutes, can easily have a price put on. It is a multibillion dollar industry that is growing rapidly due to the relative abundance of natural gas found in shale rock formations around the U.S. While a majority of the drilling is found in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas, it can also be found in states as north as North Dakota,

or as east as Pennsylvania (Map). Fracking is described as the pumping of crude oil, diesel, water or chemicals into a reservoir with such a force that the reservoir rock is cracked and results in a greater flow of oil or gas from the reservoir (Spectra Energy). There is large debate about the benefits and drawbacks of fracturing for natural gas, but some topics are more popular than others. While officials on either side of the issue have stated the facts of fracking, it is challenging to decide who is telling the truth. It is problematic trying to find out if recent earthquakes, toxins found in water, and pollution are all viable problems or not to be worried about. However, this is true: we must find an alternate solution. Currently, we are dependent on fossil fuels for energy sources. It has changed in the past, from wood to coal to petroleum (Tillery). Environmental constraints have been the cause of these shifts and will continue to be so (Tillery). This is due to the fact that we continue to insist on using a source we know will end. Instead of funding technology we know will transition away from fossil fuels we demand on continuing the charade. It is not that alternatives are not available. It is not the lack of concepts that cripple us; it is the lack of needed investment. We need to think about the future, and what it is we want to leave behind. As said by Albert Pike, What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. As often said in politics, dont settle for the lesser evil, go for the greater good.

Works Cited "Glossary of Energy Terms." Spectra Energy. Spectra Energy Corp., 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. Kaskey, Jack. "Cheap Gas From Fracking Fuels Profits at LyondellBasell." Bloomberg. Bloomberg L.P., 16 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. "Map of Natural Gas Fracking Sites." Drilling Maps. EStrategy Partners Crowdsourcing Sites, 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print. Tillery, Bill W. Physical Science. 9th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 74-79. Print. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Paris: Olde Paris Booke-Shoppe, 1913. Print.