For years, Big Oil has lied to the public about the real consequences of fracking, claiming that it is safe and a cleaner alternative to burning coal. Yet, the damage that fracking has caused and continues to cause to the planet and our health is astronomical.
Fracking contaminates drinking water. Fracking causes earthquakes.1 Methane gas leaked during fracking is not safe or clean, it’s another dirty fuel that worsens climate change and respiratory illnesses.
That’s why Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Fracking Ban Act. This legislation would ban fracking nationwide by 2025 and prevent Big Oil companies like Exxon from profiting off of polluting our water sources, threatening our health, and worsening the climate crisis.
Sign the petition: Tell Congress to protect our health and ban fracking immediately.
Fracking uses a ton of water–an average of 1.5 million to 9.7 million gallons of water to frack a single well.2 Oftentimes, fracking companies use freshwater, depleting local drinking water sources. But the lack of water isn’t the only concern. The fracking process increases the risk of water contamination as chemical spills and leaks are common.
Fracking has been making people sick for years. Children living near fracking wells are two to three times more likely to contract a form of childhood leukemia.3 Black and low-income communities are more likely to live near fracking wells and are disproportionately exposed to health risks like respiratory illnesses.
Earthquakes are another dangerous consequence of fracking. Oklahoma is one example of this, as people in the state experienced a 5.0-magnitude earthquake that scientists have directly correlated to the fracking process, where operators dump salty wastewater by injecting a high volume of fluids into disposed wells that are thousands of feet below the earth.4
On top of the damage that fracking has already caused, Big Oil has failed to do one important thing: track the leaks of methane during the process. While Big Oil marketed natural gas as a cleaner alternative to burning coal, they did not set up a process to monitor the leaks of methane that have massive negative effects on climate change.5
Big Oil has been reckless in the fracking business and has done way more damage than good, and if we allow companies like Exxon to continue, these dire consequences will continue harming whole communities of people.
Add your name: Demand that Congress pass legislation proposed by Bernie Sanders and AOC to ban fracking now.
Sources:
- NBC News, “Oil and Gas Industry Ensnarled in Spate of Oklahoma Earthquakes,” November 14, 2016.
- National Resources Defense Council, “Fracking 101,” April 19, 2019.
- Yale Environment 360, “As Evidence Mounts, New Concerns About Fracking and Health,” November 17, 2022.
- NBC News, “Oil and Gas Industry Ensnarled in Spate of Oklahoma Earthquakes,” November 14, 2016.
- PBS Frontline, “The Fossil Fuel Industry Marketed Natural Gas as a Cleaner Alternative. But They Weren’t Monitoring for Methane Leaks, Former Exxon Mobil Engineer Says.,” May 3, 2022.