
The rock is fractured from the process, releasing shale gas that can be used for energy. So, what exactly is fracking? In order to extract gas from underground, water and sand is injected at a high pressure after drilling. That being said, there has been no discussion yet of what exactly will be done about fracking. Public land drilling accounts for 25% of the United States’ carbon emissions, so this action could make a significant impact in reduction. An executive order issued by his administration paused all oil and gas drilling on federal lands. Since coming into office, Joe Biden has taken some action to prevent the practice. Some areas have incentivized hydraulic fracturing to spur economic growth, whereas others have implemented tax policy, zoning laws, and even bans on the activity to protect public health.

For that reason, policy surrounding such drilling has historically fallen upon municipal governments.

Even expansive regulations such as the 2005 Energy Policy Act and Safe Drinking Water Act exempted fracking from restriction. Rumors that presidential candidate Joe Biden would ban the practice threatened to ruin his chances of winning crucial swing states with high levels of fracking activity.įracking has become a hot topic issue for policy experts in recent years, and yet there still exists no cohesive national policy approach to the practice. This past election cycle, one issue was at the forefront of the environmental policy debate: hydraulic fracturing, or as it’s commonly known, fracking.
