What the Frack?
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of oil and natural gas extraction that involves injecting high-pressured fluid deep underground to create fractures in layers of rocky shale. This method of extraction has been in use in the US since the 1940s, and was paired with horizontal drilling in the 1990s to great effect.
Why the Frack?
Thanks to the efficiency of this process, US production of oil and natural gas has sharply increased, causing a dramatic drop in cost of energy, along with dependence on foreign nations for the primary fuels of the US economy. At the same time, US GDP has increased, and the flow of wealth to poorer areas of the country has accelerated. Net carbon dioxide emissions has even decreased, thanks to oil and natural gas replacing coal in generating electricity, a fact that industry officials are quick to point out. These are all positives that can be directly linked to the US fracking industry. Lower energy prices, greater energy security, economic stimulus to poorer communities and (slightly) cleaner air are all fantastic.
Why Not the Frack?
As more independent scientific research is conducted, information is coming to light linking the presence of fracking operations in an area with health defects in newborns, exploitation of local water supplies, contamination of ground and surface water, and toxic effects on humans and wildlife. According to a March 2014 publication in the Lancet, a renowned peer reviewed medical journal, many chemicals injected into wells (known as frack fluid) are known to have adverse effects on human health, while others have no toxicological data at all (4). This is thanks to the so-called “Halliburton Loophole” under which the EPA does not regulate frack fluid as it would with any other industrial chemical with a chance to infiltrate clean drinking water supplies(5). This lack of chemical data is compounded by most states not requiring companies to prove the extent of their fracturing, meaning the fracturing fluid could be escaping the targeted formations and leaching into ground and surface water reservoirs without the frackers being held accountable (5).
Who the Frack?
So who does fracking impact most? A 2018 study published in Forbes magazine with contributions from Princeton and UCLA found that fracking can be worth, on average, up to $2,000 annually per household to a community, though that number will change as more long-term health data comes to light. However, that same study showed that babies born within 3 kilometers of a fracking site are likely to “suffer from bad health”, with the health impacts being greater for those babies born within 1 kilometer of a fracking site (1). What this shows is just how localized the impacts of fracking can be. While a community may feel a noticeable short-term economic gain from a fracking operation, households are directly harmed by being too close to one.
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How the Frack?
How can Californians help those constituent communities most directly harmed by fracking operations? The California legislature has been presented with several bills that would urge CalGEM to require a set-back of 2,500 feet from sensitive areas like schools, neighborhoods, medical facilities, or gathering areas, but all legislation is eventually watered down to language that only asks the agency to consider such a set-back. Another suggested method to halt the negative effects of Fracking on community health and local environments is the permanent hold on all new Fracking permits on California State land. A more widespread policy to protect Californians across the state from the detriments of fracking would be an order from Governor Gavin Newsome to CalGEM to halt any approvals of new fracking permits anywhere in California. Governor Newsome has direct authority over this executive agency and can, with vocal public support, be convinced to give this order the strength of law.