What is fracking? Charged issue resurfaces in presidential race : NPR

A shale gas well drilling site is pictured in 2020 in St. Mary’s, Pa., a key battleground state where the fracking industry has brought in jobs.

Keith Srakocic/AP

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Keith Srakocic/AP

In a sit-down interview with CNN on Thursday, Vice President Harris said she wouldn’t ban fracking if elected president, a reversal of her position during her first presidential run.

The Democratic nominee attempted to explain why her position has changed from being against fracking to being in favor of it.

“What I have seen is that we can grow, and we can increase a clean energy economy without banning fracking,” she told CNN’s Dana Bash.

When she first ran for president in 2019, Harris had said she was firmly in favor of banning fracking — a stance she later abandoned when she joined President Biden’s campaign as his running mate, to side with his opposition to such a ban. Despite the Biden administration’s sweeping initiatives to address climate change, the president has also overseen the largest oil boom the U.S. — or the world — has experienced.

It’s been years since the issue has seen this much national attention. Before this week, the last time Google saw higher search interest for “fracking” was in October 2020, a month before the last presidential election. As for the Republican ticket, former President Donald Trump is expected to try to convince voters otherwise — that unlike him, Harris wants to halt fracking.

It’s a particularly key issue for voters in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state where the fracking industry has driven industrial and economic growth in the western and northern parts of the state.

If you’re in need of a refresher, here’s a quick overview on fracking.

What is fracking?

Fracking — shorthand for hydraulic fracturing — is the process of extracting gas or oil deep underground using a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals to break up rock.

Fracking has allowed oil and gas companies to tap into vast energy reservoirs that once seemed impossible to develop.

Why is it controversial?

Those in favor highlight its upsides: The fracking boom has lowered the price of oil and gas around the world, cut U.S. reliance on foreign oil production and brought in new jobs to revitalize economies. It’s also helped the U.S. shift away from coal production for power plants and toward natural gas. 

The drilling technique, however, hasn’t resolved the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change.

Fracking also dredges up concerns about air and water quality. Drilling for and transporting gas can lead to the leakage of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that warms the planet faster than carbon dioxide.

For years, research has shown that fracking depletes water levels, produces toxic air pollution and generates noise in nearby communities. It’s also been linked to drinking water contamination and earthquakes.

Hydraulic fracturing itself can trigger minor seismic activity — and the underground disposal of wastewater used in the process has caused larger, destructive quakes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

How much fracking is happening in the U.S.?

Over the past decade, fracking production by volume has quadrupled in the U.S., and overall shows no signs of slowing. Last year, the country’s average daily oil production was 12.9 million barrels — a record high, according to the Energy Information Administration. Almost two-thirds of that oil production was captured by fracking, also a record high (8.4 million barrels per day). Also in 2023, natural gas production from fracking was a record 81.5 billion cubic feet per day.

A huge portion of that fracking is happening in what’s known as the Permian region of western Texas and eastern New Mexico, which is home to more active rigs than all of the other 48 states combined.