How natural is natural gas? Natural gas extraction and consumption have increased over the past thirty years. Also known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking, it is causing a huge outcry in the environmental and political communities. The use of natural gas is an excellent source of energy throughout the world, only in America have we experienced a gold rush in extraction. Natural gas reduces dependence on foreign oil, reduces the need for coal-fired power plants, and is a more affordable source of energy globally. There are many benefits to using natural gas, but the way it is extracted has made many people sick. The adverse environmental impacts caused by hydraulic fracturing continue to increase. Not to mention political influence over big business and water quality standards. Currently, in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and the Barnett Shale in Texas, air and water quality have declined in recent years since drilling sites have increased. Natural gas is natural in the way it came about, but not in the way it is extracted and the problems it poses for everyone involved. To realize the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, environmental impacts, water quality, and air emissions must be considered. Background Information According to the U.S. Department of Energy (USDE), the first observations of natural gas date back to 100 to 125 AD. like eternal fires by the writings of Plutarch, found in present-day Iraq. These flames were most likely caused by natural gas ignited by lighting and leaking from cracks in the ground. During the 1800s, William A. Hart of Fredonia, New York, noticed these blue flames shooting through nearby cracks and decided to drill a twenty-seven foot deep well in the middle of paper...... Wastewater. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(2), A50-A55. doi:10.1289/ehp.122-A50 Department of Energy, United States (2000). Natural gas fuels the blue flame. Retrieved from http://www.fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/gas/gas_history.html Environmental Protection Agency (March 16, 2014). The USEPA hydraulic fracturing process. Retrieved April 21, 2014 from www2.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing/process-hydraulic-fracturing Perry, SL (2012). Development, land use, and collective trauma: the Marcellus shale gas boom in rural Pennsylvania. Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment, 34(1),81-92. doi:10.111/j.2153-9561.2012.01066.xWeinhold, B. (2012). The future of hydraulic fracturing. Environmental Health Perspectives, 120(7), A272-A279 http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4ef5af90-4bfc-4644-8072-00c439e2f9a2%40sessionmgr4002&vid=4&hid=4205