Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have both come out openly against hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," as it is commonly known. However, whereas Sanders has declared that the process should be stopped altogether, Clinton has said that the process should be stopped only when local communities do not want it, it causes undue pollution, or the companies involved do not disclose the chemicals that they use. And although Sanders' position is more environmentally progressive, Clinton's conditional stance is ultimately more in tune with the energy climate of the United States at the moment.
Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used to recover natural gas and oil from shale rock beneath the earth's surface. Sand, water, and various chemicals are injected into the shale layer at extremely high pressures, causing it to crack open; the released natural gas and oil then flows out of the head of a well, where it is collected. Hydraulic fracturing remains a hot-button issue due to its environmental consequences. The water used becomes contaminated with any of the chemicals used to break the shale layer. Many of these chemicals do not biodegrade. Many are recognized human carcinogens These chemicals may even go on to make their way into the groundwater and poison freshwater reservoirs; increased levels of illness, birth defects, and cancer have been recorded around fracking sites.
Yet the process continues to open up huge, previously untapped energy stores, and environmental lobbyists have largely been unable to curb the industry. The immense underground reservoirs of natural oil and gas offer the United States energy independence from other nations. Fracking in the US has continued to expand in recent years. Hydraulic fracturing is legal in 22 states, although the process is modified slightly to accommodate the fossil fuels available. Texas, for example, has thousands of wells tapping into deep shale deposits whereas Indiana has only a select few. Tennessee and Kentucky drillers even employ a modified method of fracking, which involves injecting nitrogen gas underground. Large companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. (NSYE: XOM), Chevron Corp. (NSYE: CVX), and ConocoPhillips Co. (NYSE: COP), are all heavily involved in the industry's expansion, but there is a growing trend of small traditional oil producers leasing out their land to oilfield service companies. The resultant business can be enough to sustain the life of an entire small town-even though the residents of such a town will be the ones bearing the brunt of the environmental impacts.
A president who opposes hydraulic fracturing entirely, as opposed to conditionally, will therefore face a steep uphill battle. They will still have to face off against the immense lobbying power of the energy industry. They may even face opposition from the American public-besides those who live in fracking towns, the general public has grown used to lower gas prices due to a flooded market. In addition, there are large areas of the country where the price of gas is the keystone of a family's finances; any uptick in the price of gas quickly translates into a downtick in a president's approval ratings.