MY APES 2012 #1

(d) Describe one economic benefit to society of using fracking to extract natural gas from shale.

Creation of jobs.

(c) Describe TWO environmental drawbacks, not related to water use, of using the fracking process to extract natural gas from shale.

Earthquakes can result from the drilling/fracking process. Noise pollution is caused by the drilling rigs and by increased truck traffic.

(b) Natural gas is considered to be a better fossil fuel for the environment than coal is. Discuss TWO environmental benefits of using natural gas as a fuel compared to using coal.

Fewer SOx are produced, resulting in less acid rain. • Fewer NOx are produced, resulting in less acid rain and less photochemical smog.

(a) Identify and describe TWO water-related environmental problems associated with fracking.

Groundwater contamination -Leaks from the well casings can contaminate the water with either fracking liquids or flowback liquids. Excessive water use or consumption - Water demands for the fracking process compete with water demands for drinking or irrigation (agriculture).

(e) Nuclear power is an alternative to using natural gas or coal as a fuel for generating electricity. However, there are also problems associated with nuclear power plants. Describe TWO negative environmental impacts associated with nuclear power.

Thermal pollution from cooling operations (impacting surface waters). Uranium is a nonrenewable resource.