The year 1821 made history when William Hart dug the first successful natural gas well. Since then, natural gas has become essential for heating and cooling homes, cooking and fueling automobiles. Natural gas is also a useful tool in the manufacture of products such as glass or polyethylene. This hydrocarbon energy source accounts for twenty-seven percent of total energy consumption in the United States alone (EIA, United States energy consumption by major fuel type). However, it's not just one big pocket of black gold: oil and gas are found in thousands of small pockets underground. By fracturing the rocks around the pockets, the gas is released and collected. Even though natural gas is one of the cleanest fossil fuels, few people are aware of the damage caused by fracking in order to obtain this natural resource. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is harmful not only to the environment but also to our health; and while it is not ideal to eliminate fracking, there should be tighter restrictions on the process of obtaining the resource needed to protect the environment. First, fracking uses a huge amount of water. Just fracking a well, once, requires approximately two to six million gallons of water. That's enough to run a town of about 42,000 people for a day. The world is mostly salt water, not fresh water, and fracking uses only fresh water. Overall, the hydraulic fracturing industry used 26.6 billion gallons of fresh water in 2011. Additionally, in rural areas, hydraulic fracturing can account for 25% of water consumption. This is an extremely wasteful and poor use of water that could benefit the population. Fracking produces significantly more wastewater than traditional oil and gas drilling. Not only is there an extreme amount of w...... middle of paper...... water, 1% sand and 0.5% chemical additives. Some chemical additives are used in ice cream. Additionally, Colorado Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper drank fracking fluid to prove its safety to his local residents. Water used in the fracturing process can also be stored, reinjected and recycled. When done correctly, fracking should not contaminate drinking water aquifers. Companies don't want to harm the environment and have found ways to improve the fracking process. Methane emissions are twenty percent lower in 2010 compared to 1990. This shows how the method of obtaining natural gas is improving and not deteriorating. Considering all the arguments, however, fracking is a very important resource for the nation because it is harmful to the environment. environment, it is preferable that strong restrictions be imposed on obtaining the resource.