Fracking pollutes the water we drink and the air we breathe, and
it’s dangerous for communities and our climate. It has also been
linked to earthquakes. It is unacceptable that the oil and gas
industry profits at the expense of our drinking water, environment and
safety. What Is Fracking? Fracking, also called “hydraulic
fracturing,” is a destructive process that corporations including
Halliburton, BP and ExxonMobil use to extract natural gas and oil from
rock that lies deep underground. They drill a deep well and inject
millions of gallons of toxic fracking fluid – a mix of water, sand
and harsh chemicals – at a high enough pressure to fracture the rock
and release the oil or gas. Why Should Fracking Be Banned? In the
U.S., a sweetheart deal with energy companies exempted fracking from
major environmental laws, including the Safe Drinking Water Act, and
spills and accidents are far too common. Food & Water Watch believes
that the process is too risky to be regulated — and fracking
prolongs our dependence on fossil fuels and delays policies that will
bring us truly clean energy. Claims that natural gas is a “bridge
fuel” ignore the fact that it is just another dangerous fossil fuel
and does nothing to move us to renewable energy. Learn more about our
campaign to ban fracking. Communities around the world are uniting
around the call to ban fracking and Food & Water Watch has supported
this growing movement in many ways, including by sponsoring the Global
Frackdown. What Are The Risks of Fracking? The entire process of
fracking — from drilling a well to transporting waste — endangers
our water and the health of our communities. There is clear evidence
of the growing damage caused by fracking: Some people who live near
fracking sites have become seriously ill from polluted air and
contaminated water. Others can light their tap on fire due to the
amount of methane in their water. The oil and gas industry isn’t
required to disclose the chemicals they use in the fracking process,
but many are known endocrine disruptors and carcinogens. Communities
with fracking have seen declines in property values, increases in
crime, and losses in local tourism and agriculture. Methane, a
potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, leaks from
fracking industry sites. If Fracking Is Dangerous, Why Are We Doing
It? Corporate influence over our democracy is one of the biggest
threats to our food and water. Learn more about how a handful of oil
and gas companies control the public debate over energy and fracking.
