By: Eiman N.
Photo from: NRDC
The 2020 presidential debates focused on the multitude of current issues facing Americans today, including the state of the environment. One word that stood out in particular regarding this topic was ‘fracking.’ This concept confused many viewers with false claims made by both parties concerning their stances on the environmental issue. In the second presidential debate, Joe Biden claimed that he never stated he opposed fracking. In 2019, however, Biden said he would make sure it was eliminated, and at the beginning of 2020, he said he opposed “new fracking.” To add to the confusion, Biden’s written plan does not include a full ban on fracking of any sort. Kamala Harris, Biden’s choice for Vice President, has clearly stated that he will not ban fracking. Donald Trump and the Republican party have a clear stance on the matter -- they oppose any sort of ban on fracking. After the presidential debate, many progressive and left-leaning Democrats, including Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar took to Twitter to mention that fracking should be banned as it is harmful to the environment. Viewers were left confused. What is fracking? Why is it such a major debate within the Democratic party? Why is the Biden-Harris campaign appealing to the Republican viewpoint on this matter? What exactly is Biden’s stance on the issue and why won’t he make it clear?
Fracking is the revolutionization of drilling for oil and gas on all forms of land, and it has been proven to have harmful effects on the environment including poisoning underground water, polluting surface water, threatening wildlife, and impairing landscapes. Environmentally, there is no debate. Economically, on the other hand, it is a different story.
The natural gas industry supports 5.6% of the overall employment of the United States, which is 9.8 million jobs. It continues to grow at a positive rate, especially in states near or in the South, such as Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.
This is perhaps the reason Biden refuses to have a clear stance on the matter. With the election being such a close call, Biden made every effort to appeal to undecided Southern and Republican voters who are largely employed by the natural gas industry, along with progressives who were rooting for another candidate. Making clear cut claims on whether or not he would ban fracking would easily have him lose a handful of crucial voters.
Is there a way, however, to ensure the harmful effects of fracking do not inflict upon the environment and millions of Americans stay employed? Yes.
Fracking can become a clean practice -- all it requires is some investment into the state of the environment by the government. Investing in water-less fracking systems would allow for large conservation of water. Additionally, replacing the freshwater traditionally used and replacing it with recycled water or brine, a high-concentration saltwater solution, also conserves fresh water and reduces water pollution. Instead of using diesel-powered equipment that produces poisonous pollutants and greenhouse gases, the government could invest in engines that use natural gas or solar panels. The goal of fracking is to produce oil, however, more wastewater is produced in the process, causing a lot of pollution. It is usually just shipped to underground storage facilities. Treating the wastewater instead could greatly reduce the pollution and allow for the water to be reused in the fracking system. Last but not least, reducing methane leaks, one of the major concerns regarding fracking, by using infrared cameras to detect the leaks at fracking sites or replacing traditional pressure monitoring controllers with lower-bleed designs would not only immensely improve the environment but would also aid large corporations by allowing them to save money for not losing any methane. Experts cite that a nation-wide movement to invoke this practice could reduce methane leaks by up to 35 billion cubic feet a year.
So if the issue regarding fracking is purely economical, there is a simple and clear-cut solution that can be implemented only if the government chooses to invest in the environment. This way, the practice of fracking won’t harm the environment and those employed in the industry would not lose their jobs. This will also allow for a more progressive future in which modern technology is used to work towards a cleaner environment.
Discussion Questions:
Do you think the Democrats can work within themselves and the Republicans to implement the practice of cleaner fracking?
Do you think cleaner fracking can be implemented by the government? Or is banning fracking as a whole the only solution?