The controversy over fracking or the hydraulic recovery of 'tight' oil and gas from shale formations like the one that underlies upstate New York has reached the Democratic primary contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The New York primary is tomorrow, and the candidates have exchanged sharp words over the state's ban on fracking
{17.12.14}. According to an environmental policy research group, in just ten years the fracking boom has released 5.3 billion pounds of potent greenhouse gas, methane, into the atmosphere.
{17.04.14} The number of fracking wells has increased by 55,000 during that time, producing at least 14 billion gallons of wastewater. On average a fracking well uses 3 million gallons of water. Hillary Clinton's camp sees natural gas as a "bridge fuel" to wean America off fossil fuel dependence. No surprise there since many of
her biggest financial "bundlers" are lobbyists for the fossil fuel industry. As Secretary of State she sold shale oil exploitation to other countries. Senator Sanders has refused campaign contributions from the the industry and supports "the keep it in the ground" legislation introduced in Congress. He has
called for a nationwide ban on hydraulic fracturing.
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| see Gasland, the movie |
Not only is fracking polluting the air with huge amounts of greenhouse gas, but underground wastewater injection is causing seismic tremors in Oklahoma at a record rate
{04.01.16} and
polluting water supplies from
Pennsylvania to
West Virginia. Care to drink some firewater, New York?