Hydraulic Fracturing: What’s Up?

March 12, 2021

Paulina Hruskoci, Eco Rep

Caitlin Griffith, Sustainability Coordinator

This past election cycle, one issue was at the forefront of the environmental policy debate: hydraulic fracturing, or as it’s commonly known, fracking. Rumors that presidential candidate Joe Biden would ban the practice threatened to ruin his chances of winning crucial swing states with high levels of fracking activity.

Fracking has become a hot topic issue for policy experts in recent years, and yet there still exists no cohesive national policy approach to the practice. Even expansive regulations such as the 2005 Energy Policy Act and Safe Drinking Water Act exempted fracking from restriction. For that reason, policy surrounding such drilling has historically fallen upon municipal governments. Some areas have incentivized hydraulic fracturing to spur economic growth, whereas others have implemented tax policy, zoning laws, and even bans on the activity to protect public health.

Since coming into office, Joe Biden has taken some action to prevent the practice. An executive order issued by his administration paused all oil and gas drilling on federal lands. Public land drilling accounts for 25% of the United States’ carbon emissions, so this action could make a significant impact in reduction. That being said, there has been no discussion yet of what exactly will be done about fracking.

So, what exactly is fracking? In order to extract gas from underground, water and sand is injected at a high pressure after drilling. The rock is fractured from the process, releasing shale gas that can be used for energy. Hydraulic fracturing has received some positive press for boosting production domestically, reducing gas prices, and increasing energy security. The practice can also create jobs, in turn having positive impact on the economy. That being said, there has been research to tie a variety of environmental externalities to the harmful practice. Below are just a few of the issues that have been tied to fracking:

• Wastewater Disposal Issues – Much of the wastewater produced from fracking returns to the surface, creating pollution issues for the surrounding community. Although the chemical composition of produced wastewater is unclear, researchers from the West Virginia Water Institute have found traces of toxic metals such as arsenic and aluminum.
• High Water Usage – In 2010, 70 to 140 billion gallons of water were used for just 35,000 wells. With new wells being built every year, the huge water needs to frack wells could pose issues for limited water resources.
• Groundwater Contamination – Leakage throughout the fracking process can seep into the surrounding soil, polluting groundwater resources with fracking fluid and methane.
• Drinking Water Contamination – Numerous research form the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] , specifically in the states of Pennsylvania, Colorado, Ohio, and Wyoming, has linked fracking to local contamination of drinking water resources.
• Poor Infant Health – In a study published by Science Advances, it was found that babies born within a half mile of a fracking site are more likely to have a low birth weight. Additionally, babies born within two miles of a fracking site are more likely to suffer from poor health.
• Air Pollution Issues – Fracking releases large amounts of methane into the atmosphere, creating a 105x larger impact than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas pollutant.
• Toxic Substance Ingestion – Ingestion of toxic substances near fracking sites has been linked to headaches, eye irritation, and respiratory issues. Cleanup of these toxic substances in drinking water is very expensive.
• Habitat Destruction – As with many other developments, fracking wells disrupt their local habitat. Precious rural areas across the United States are becoming industrial zones instead. In Wyoming, fracking operations were linked to fragmentation of the mule deer’s habitat, reducing their population by 56% between 2001 and 2010.

These issues have been proven to disproportionately impact low-income and minority communities, primarily communities of color. Environmental justice must be at the forefront of fracking policy solutions.

In the next few years, it will be interesting to see whether federal action is taken to reduce fracking activity across the country. I will certainly be keeping my eyes on the news as further action develops. In addition to the resources linked throughout this piece, I also recommend checking out FracFocus, a national registry for fracking activity and resulting chemical contamination.

 

 

< More News