350 Action Applauds Sanders Fracking Ban Bill

Today, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill to ban the practice of fracking. Hydraulic fracking is a notoriously dangerous process, extracting fossil gas containing methane, a greenhouse gas that traps 86 times more heat than carbon dioxide. Fracking currently occurs in 21 states across the U.S., with some cities having banned it in response to public pressure. Although scientists have definitively stated that the world must reduce emissions drastically in the next ten years, the current rate of production of fracked gas and its continued use put those emissions targets out of reach. 350 Action supports Senator Sanders' bill to ban this practice, stop all construction of fracking infrastructure, and to invest in a renewable energy economy that creates millions of jobs for all.

The following is a statement from Natalie Mebane, Associate Director of Policy at 350.org:

"Fracking is dangerous for our health, our water, our land and climate. We cannot just regulate fracking, we must ban it outright. We can no longer ignore the dangerous earthquakes caused by wastewater injection or the contaminated groundwater that is poisoning families. There is no such thing as safe hydraulic fracturing, and the building of fracking infrastructure is just as detrimental to communities, as the use of fracked gas.

"New fracking projects will, without a doubt, worsen climate change. Senator Sanders' bill names the problem and provides the only solution. In order to avoid the worst of the climate crisis, we must rapidly transition off of fossil fuels, and end fracking and the dangerous pipelines that come with it. A just transition is only possible with bold policy such as this. 350 Action is proud to support the Fracking Ban Act."