For Immediate Release 

Friday, January 31 2020

Press Contact: Monica Mohapatra, [email protected]

(Washington D.C) 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.”

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350 Action is empowering voters across the country to make a direct impact in the most important climate r\aces in the nation. From local elections that can determine the fate of proposed fossil fuel projects, to House races which could help wrestle control of Congress back from climate deniers and oil industry puppets, 350 Action is lifting up climate progressive candidates. Find out more about our work at www.350action.org.