As the United States grows and humans develop both land and resources, the need for energy is also increasing substantially. For hundreds of years, America has depended on fossil fuels as its primary source of energy. But fossil fuels are not renewable and will soon run out. Many debate renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro, solar or geothermal energy, but the United States has found a new source of energy and a new way to obtain it. Natural gas, and the fracking process to obtain it, is for many people our salvation and a revolutionary energy method. But is it really? Despite the obvious benefit of an energy surplus, fracking is extremely dangerous and damages the land, water and life around where it is carried out. For this reason I am against the fracking process. The land and geology of America are extremely important, even if we seriously take them for granted. Many developments and processes we carry out severely damage the land we stand on, and fracking is no exception. Fracking 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 degrading. The drilling, roads and other parts needed for fracking are killing these forests. Between 2000 and 2011, over 9,000 Marcellus Shale permits and over 49,000 non-Marcellus Shale permits were created in Pennsylvania alone. These fracking drillings are severely dividing the forests causing damage to the entire ecosystem. In addition to destroying forests, fracking also causes earthquakes and sinkholes. Scientists have discovered a direct correlation between fracking and the recent earthquake... middle of paper... thousands of sites create many more jobs, provide tax revenue to the government, and create real payments to property owners. Like everything in life, there are pros and cons to fracking. But the serious difference between what the pros (society) are accomplishing versus what the cons are affecting (the environment) makes this topic extremely controversial. Despite the fact that fracking is helping the economy and providing energy, the consequences of fracking, which is destroying our land, water and life in our country, including killing people, are simply too great to be ignore. After just seventy years fracking will last in our country, we should still find alternative energy sources. So instead of destroying the place we call home, we should immediately find a new and environmentally friendly way to produce energy and ban fracking..