Why We Need a Federal Ban on Fracking

Wenonah Hauter is Executive Director of Food & Water Watch

Energy industry executives and even some environmentalists are touting natural gas as a “bridge fuel” to our sustainable energy future. But hydrofracking, or fracking—the risky technology that has made once inaccessible deposits of natural gas accessible—puts our drinking water, local communities, and the environment at risk. Fracking is anything but sustainable, which is why we’re calling for a national ban.

The drilling technique involves injecting millions of gallons of fracking fluids — a mixture of nearly 600 chemicals, water and sand — into a gas well to create pressure that cracks open rocks underground, releasing natural gas.

The Marcellus Shale, which includes parts of Pennsylvania, New York, is a huge target for gas companies. But, unlike the gas sources energy companies have been extracting for years, the methane gas found in shale formations is, at best, difficult and risky to extract — even with Halliburton’s now well-known extraction methods. Conducting this business comes at a cost to public health and the environment due to the use of these dangerous chemicals.

During the Bush Administration, energy companies lobbied hard for fracking to be exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act, which they won in the 2005 energy bill, thanks to something most of us call the Cheney Loophole. As a result, EPA has no authority to regulate fracking’s effect on drinking water, or to even force companies to disclose the 596 chemicals that they are using. Whether at the national or state level, regulations have not been adequate to address the risks to the environment and public health.

The town of Dish, Texas has been experiencing air contamination from nearby fracking, including high levels of benzene, which recently forced the city’s mayor to leave his post and move away with his family.

In Pennsylvania — where regulations are minimal and drilling sites are many — the state government has mostly yielded to industry. The true costs of this relationship have been revealing themselves more frequently over time, such as with the major fracking spill that occurred at a Chesapeake Energy well in Bradford County, PA last month. Pennsylvania has allowed unfettered access to its shale rock, and now its citizens and their drinking water are experiencing the consequences.

There are also other possible risks of fracking that are unknown. Arkansas passed a six-month moratorium on fracking in the central region of the state after the Center for Earthquake Research and Information recorded nearly 100 earthquakes within seven days. Although no link has been definitively established between the seismic activity and fracking, the number of earthquakes has declined since the moratorium began.

Fortunately, there are significant movements around the nation to stop fracking.

In New York, the public has had the benefit of more time to learn more about hydraulic fracturing and its negative impacts. A major fight has been brewing in the State Capitol and New Yorkers have made it clear that they want to protect their water first. With the way things have been going in Texas, Arkansas and Pennsylvania, it’s not difficult to demonstrate that regulations aren’t enough to make fracking any safer in New York, which is why New Yorkers are seeking a moratorium on fracking.

Congress has reintroduced the FRAC (Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals) Act in the Senate and the House of Representatives, a bill that would close the Cheney loophole and will require companies to disclose the chemicals they use. While this is certainly a good starting point, we believe that it won’t be enough.

We can't afford to wait for more studies and more regulations that have the potential to be watered down or rendered ineffective. We believe we have all the information we need to ban fracking now. And while state bans and moratoria are a good first step, they will not be enough. We need a federal ban to ensure that hydraulic fracturing doesn't threaten drinking water anywhere in the United States.

We can't afford to permanently destroy our natural resources for a temporary solution to our energy woes. Join us in calling for a ban on gas drilling.

Photo credit: Marcellus Protest via Flickr