As the United States grows and humans develop both land and resources, the need for energy also increases significantly. For hundreds of years, America has relied on fossil fuels as its primary source of energy. But fossil fuels are not renewable and we will soon run out of them. Many people debate switching to renewable energy sources like wind, water, solar, or geothermal, but the United States has found a new source of energy and a new way to get it. Natural gas and the hydraulic fracturing process to obtain it is for many people our saving grace and a revolutionary energy method. But is this really the case? Despite the obvious benefit of excess energy, hydraulic fracturing is extremely dangerous and damages the land, water, and life around where it is practiced. For this reason, I am against the process of fracking. America's lands and geology are extremely important, even though we seriously take them for granted. Many developments and processes we carry out significantly damage the ground we stand on, and fracking is no exception. Hydraulic fracturing uses large drills and equipment located across America to harvest natural gas. One of the most popular states for fracking is Pennsylvania, and the forests where the equipment is installed are becoming degraded. The drills, roads and other elements needed for fracking are killing these forests. More than 9,000 Marcellus Shale permits and more than 49,000 non-Marcellus Shale permits were created between 2000 and 2011 in Pennsylvania alone. These fracking drills are severely dividing forests, damaging the entire ecosystem. In addition to destroying forests, fracking also causes earthquakes and sinkholes. Scientists have found a direct correlation between fracking and the recent earthquake... middle of paper ...... its thousands of sites create many more jobs, provide tax revenue to the government and generate payments royals to the property. owners. Like everything in life, fracking has pros and cons. But the vast difference between what the pros do (society) and what the cons do (the environment) makes this topic extremely controversial. Despite the fact that fracking helps the economy and provides energy, its consequences, the destruction of our land, water and life in our country, including the death of people, are simply too serious to be ignored. After the seventy years of fracking in our country, we will have to find alternative energy sources anyway. So instead of destroying the place we call home, we should find a new, environmentally friendly way to produce energy now and ban fracking..