Fri Nov 15, 2024
November 15, 2024

Harris vs. Trump: Who loves fracking more?

By COOPER BARD

The Sept. 10 presidential debate showed clearly that the policies of the two big capitalist parties have a number of points of bipartisan collusion, including support for Israel (and by extension, its war crimes perpetrated with U.S. weaponry), increasing the USA’s military strength generally, and competition against China in the tech and manufacturing sectors. This agreement includes, as we saw, bipartisan support for expanded fracking (hydraulic fracturing) in places like Pennsylvania.

When questioned about her policy on fracking, Harris proudly said, “I will not ban fracking, I have not banned fracking when I was vice president.” She continued, “I was the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which opened new leases for fracking.” This was included in order to reduce U.S. reliance on “foreign oil.” Unfortunately, emissions do not tend to respect tariffs.

Trump, in his typical rambling fashion, retorted, “If she won the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will end on day one,” implying that this would be a bad thing. “I got the oil business going like nobody else,” he boasted.

Both the Democratic and Republican candidates for the presidency want to sell the illusion that fracking is good because it brings in economic activity. But what it actually promises is a depletion of the land, the poisoning of the air and water, and the lining of the pockets of the big business interests for whom the twin capitalist parties actually work .

It is clear that no matter who wins the election, fracking as an industry will fare well. Sadly, this does not bode well for the climate or working-class people.

What is fracking and why is it dangerous?

Fracking is the practice of digging deep into shale bedrock and injecting pressurized liquid (made of water and other chemicals that we will describe below) into the hole to form cracks, from which petroleum and “natural gas” can be extracted.

The continued mining and production of fossil fuels will spell continued catastrophe on Earth, as the emission of greenhouse gases (particularly CO2, as well as methane, nitrous oxide, and other substances) continues to increase. The effects on the climate are already here and numerous, including deadly heat waves, famines, and mass extinctions. They have the potential to undermine the web of life on this planet to such a degree that extraordinary numbers of people could die off in the not too distant future—to say nothing of the severe human and animal suffering we are witnessing right now.

In addition, the chemicals in the fracking fluid have immediate effects on air, water, and soil quality, which can cause cancer and other health problems to local communities and downstream areas.

Major fracking operations in the U.S. include sites in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia (the Marcellus Shale formation), the Texas Permian Basin, the area around Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, as well as many other sites. In Canada, fracking has been an ongoing reality in Alberta, Quebec, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, and—like most examples of industrial extractivism—remains a direct threat to Indigenous communities.

While the “debate” on fracking focused attention on Pennsylvania—especially because of its position as a “swing state” in the 2024 elections—the oil industry is planning massive increases to fracking in the Permian Basin. This has the potential to cause what activists are calling the “Permian climate bomb,” which would guarantee a release of billions of tons of new CO2 emissions on its own, virtually promising that we push past our “carbon budget” and doom human civilization.

Methane is first-rate threat

The emissions from fracking include those produced by the extraction, production, and end-use of fossil fuels. Areas around drilling sites often register higher measurements of air pollution by hydrocarbons and even toxic substances such as benzene. But the main threat from fracking comes from the released methane that occurs during the mining process.

Humans produce more CO2 than methane, and thus CO2 remains the most dangerous greenhouse gas by mere volume; it also remains in the atmosphere longer than methane. But methane is a more potent greenhouse gas and poses significant short-term effects—heating the atmosphere nearly 90 times faster than carbon dioxide.

Scientists have determined that fossil-fuel production releases a small amount of methane, whatever the source. But fracking in particular releases much more methane gas during the extraction and production process than most other drilling methods. Due to increased fracking in the United States and Canada, methane releases have increased by 61 million tons or 20% over the last two decades. This translates to increased planetary warming in a much shorter time period. It is also important to note that the methane generated by oil and gas production has a higher carbon content than methane released from biological sources.

Fracking pollution doesn’t end even after direct production has stopped, as orphaned wells have a leaking problem that contributes considerably to the overall creation of greenhouse gases in the U.S. Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of wells remain to be properly plugged.

Dangers of fracking fluids

As mentioned above, fracking has an additional problem caused by the liquid used in the process. This liquid is a mixture of sand and chemicals meant to increase the efficiency of the process (making the liquid less viscous, increasing acidity, etc.). These chemicals are known to have carcinogenic properties, and can also cause birth defects.

Despite the fact that oil producers have lobbied Congress to keep the contents of fracking fluids a secret, we still know a few things. As a by-product, the fracking liquid produces PFAS, cancer-causing compounds also known as “forever chemicals.” These “forever chemicals” are also generated by the breakdown of plastics.

There are very few, if any, safeguards to prevent this liquid from entering the water table. Water, air, and soil contamination from fracking poses serious health risks to local communities, and the desecration of the soil and water will have disastrous consequences for farming going forward.

The poorer you are, the more likely you will suffer the consequences of fracking (while the oil magnates reap all benefits). To focus on Pennsylvania, a study by Scientific America found that rural and poorer communities are much more likely to be directly impacted by fracking. Multiple towns in rural Pennsylvania have had their water poisoned by fracking operations. Water was poisoned in Wyoming towns near fracking sites, and also in Dallas, Texas. We could go on for pages with other examples of direct harm to poor and rural communities in Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, Ohio, and others state.

Since the gas can leak into the water table, some people who live near fracking operations have had flammable tap water. This can also lead to ground tremors as a result of the degeneration of the bedrock.

Production for export is key to fossil fuel expansion

Our civilization’s addiction to fossil fuels and the resulting climate disruption is an international problem. One of the major factors driving the expansion of oil and gas in the U.S. is the drive to replace Russian oil and gas supplies to Europe. The U.S. has become one of the world’s top exporters of oil and gas as a result of this change in the international situation.

Needless to say, “our” oil magnates have exploited this opportunity to increase their market share globally. The U.S. government, which will serve them no matter which capitalist party carries the torch in 2025, is happy to facilitate their profit drive.

Of course, Europe’s addiction to oil is just as much a problem as our own. Russia’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine has simply accelerated the existing trend toward increased oil consumption and war production.

The Biden administration and the lie of “green capitalism”

In this context, we can see why the two capitalist parties give unconditional support to expanded oil production. Harris’ full-throated support for fracking should shatter any illusions that the Biden administration or the Democratic Party put the interests of the planet at the forefront. Rather, their primary interests are those of the oil magnates, the weapons manufacturers, the plastics manufacturers, etc.

The climate and environmental policies of the Biden administration are meant to sustain the capitalist system while giving it a “green” sheath. Biden’s “green capitalism”—embodied most forcefully in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)—is a market-driven ploy. The idea is to boost U.S.-produced “green” commodities and energy use while still keeping fossil fuels profitable. Thus, while billions are spent on green technologies and infrastructure, fossil fuel extraction, production, and use continues anyway.

This is particularly evident in the tax credit given to oil companies for carbon sequestration (a different swindle beyond our scope here). Climate activists have already noticed that without any actual oversight, the companies could just as easily use the added cash to expand dirty oil operations such as fracking.

Similarly, the IRA mandated the government to offer at least 60 million acres of off-shore leases to the oil and gas companies one year before any leases could be granted for off-shore wind farms. This step in tying wind power to an expansion of drilling for fossil fuels clearly demonstrates the feebleness of the government in opposing the rule of the oil magnates.

In another example of this outlook, the Bureau of Land Management continues to prioritize oil and gas development on the federal lands that it manages over other uses—such as solar or wind-power installations, recreation, and conservation. Ninety percent of BLM land is open to fossil fuel leasing.

Despite increased investment in renewables, the vast majority of transportation and the electric grid is still powered by fossil fuels (approximately 60%). The Biden administration approved new pipelines, such as the notorious Willow Pipeline project in Alaska, new fracking (as Harris attested to), and new offshore drilling. Biden, therefore, is not a green president by any effective measure. So while liberal supporters of Biden insist that the IRA is the “greenest legislation in history” and cite factual increases in renewables, this is a deeply rose-tinted perspective. The Inflation Reduction Act, despite its successes, is quite simply not enough.

The reality is too bleak to allow for such partial measures. In the three years since the passing of the IRA, CO2 emissions have continued to increase globally. This is due to the market-driven growth model of capitalism (as well as new wars in Ukraine and Gaza), which will not be changed or slowed down when there are a few additional wind turbines or new EV’s on the roads. These few “green” items will have been put into operation in vain so long as new fossil fuel exploration is tolerated! Unless action is undertaken immediately to halt new oil production and make a green transition in a systematic and planned manner, it is doubtful that humanity can overcome climate disaster.

Fracking is part of the dominant fossil fuel industry, which the politicians who manage the interests of the capitalist state cannot abolish, because fossil fuels are so terribly integrated into every aspect of the global economy. There is no way the U.S. can maintain hundreds of military operations around the globe, and no way the Fortune 500 companies can remain in operation as they are now, without substantial investment in the existing infrastructure of fossil fuels. The oil magnates of each imperialist power dominate the economy of the world by virtue of their dominance of infrastructure including cars, the electric grid, packaging, and military operations.

In effect, actually pursuing a green economy (and averting the potential mass death of billions of people) demands an end to half measures. Profits must take the back seat, and hitherto unheard of encroachments into the rights of billionaire property and the private sector must be undertaken. This means an end to the “freedoms” of the fracking industry—their freedoms to poison our water and put human civilization at risk with their reckless methane pollution!

The Democrats and the Republicans will not do anything to harm their real masters, the capitalists. That’s why they both love fracking. The working class needs to break with the capitalist system in order to safeguard our own well-being and, indeed, all life on Earth.

End fracking! Halt all oil exploration! Keep it in the ground!

Emergency measures to reverse environmental destruction! Seal the wells! Make oil companies pay the costs!

Nationalize energy, transportation, and the banks under the control of the working class!

Organize ecological reconstruction! Allocate billions to reforestation, rewilding, and restoration of lands spoiled by industrial waste!

For workers’, Indigenous peoples’, and community control of the land!

End the war economy! Halt all aid to Israel! Russia and NATO out of Ukraine!

Sources and Notes
https://workersvoiceus.org/2023/11/07/environmental-racism-and-climate-solutions-in-canada/

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2019/08/study-fracking-prompts-global-spike-atmospheric-methane

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/24/plugging-methane-leaking-oil-gas-wells-in-the-us-will-cost-billions.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/12/climate/epa-pfas-fracking-forever-chemicals.html

https://www.ehn.org/health-impacts-of-fracking-2634432607.html

https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/29/politics/biden-offshore-drilling-plan-climate/index.html

https://inthesetimes.com/article/inflation-reduction-act-green-energy-carbon-emissions-broken-climate-framework?link_id=1&can_id=ea858fa67ff8a07e50eb06991a958102&source=email-republicans-will-weaponize-rural-suffering-as-long-as-democrats-ignore-it&email_referrer=email_2443670&email_subject=the-lie-of-green-growth

https://www.princeton.edu/news/2023/07/12/new-study-evaluates-climate-impact-ira

https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/what-makes-methane-more-potent-greenhouse-gas-carbon-dioxide

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/8/15/20805136/climate-change-fracking-methane-emissions

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/poor-communities-bear-greatest-burden-from-fracking/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcellus_Formation

https://newrepublic.com/article/169867/fracking-poisoned-towns-water-now-frackers-allowed-back-in

https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2016/03/pavillion-fracking-water-032916

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/us-crises-water-flint-modesto-fracking/

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/45Q

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/28/energy/eu-us-oil-imports-overtake-russia/index.html

Article first published on Workers’ Voice 10-01-24

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