Fracking has never been an environmental problem.
Staff note: We’ve noted where the lies are in Ken Salazar’s statements and added references at the bottom of the article.
HOUSTON — Former U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar said Wednesday morning that he believes hydraulic fracturing is safe, and the energy industry should work to convince the public that it doesn’t pose a safety threat.
Salazar spoke in Houston at the North American Prospect Expo, a three-day conference where landowners from around the globe look to make deals with oil, gas and pipeline companies.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of oil and gas production that flushes large volumes of high-pressure water, sand and chemicals deep underground. It has generated enormous controversy in communities across the country on concerns that it might pollute groundwater and cause other environmental problems.
“From my opinion and from what I’ve seen … I believe hydraulic fracking is, in fact, safe,” Salazar said.
Salazar said the oil and gas industry must work to educate the public of the technology and “make sure people are not scared.”
[Lie #1] “We know that, from everything we’ve seen, there’s not a single case where hydraulic fracking has created an environmental problem for anyone,” Salazar said. “We need to make sure that story is told.”
Salazar says he came to his conclusion after speaking with others in the federal government, including scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Steven Chu, the Nobel Prize-winning former U.S. Energy Secretary who also says fracking is safe.
Environmental groups, unsurprisingly, don’t agree with that characterization of the practice. Groups like the Natural Resources Defense fund say fracking is a likely suspect behind polluted drinking water in Pennsylvania, Texas, Wyoming and elsewhere.
Environmentalists also attribute air pollution and even some earthquakes to the practice.
Salazar represented Colorado in the senate for four years before joining the cabinet in 2009. After leaving the Interior Department last year, he joined the law firm WilmerHale, which advises companies in the energy sector.
The former cabinet official also hinted that the energy industry may be to blame for some of the opposition to fracking, citing some companies’ reluctance to disclose the chemical makeup of the liquids they use in the process. He said people are scared of the unknown and suggested more disclosure could ease some of those concerns.
[Lie #2] Salazar said fracking, in part, is the reason the country has enjoyed a energy boom that has helped move it towards energy independence and reduced the price of fuel.
“We’re creating a secure world for ourselves and for our children,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Ohio or Pennsylvania or California or right here at this convention in Houston,” he said. “Letting people know this kind of information … is very important for us.”
Chris Faulkner, CEO of Breitling Energy Corp., a Dallas-based exploration and production company, praised Salazar and said the defense of the practice is especially significant, given his position in an adminisration that typically hasn’t been considered an ally of the oil and gas industry.
He also expects Salazar’s comments to prompt more discussion about the merits of fracking. “We have to address the issue head on,” Faulkner said.
Salazar also said he believes the Keystone XL Pipeline should be built.
[Lie #3] “At the end of the day, we are going to be consuming that oil,” Salazar said. “So is it better for us to get the oil from our good neighbor from the north, or to be bringing it from some place in the Middle East?”
[Lie # 1] This is one study that outlines the multiple adverse impacts of fracking on the environment and health.
[Lie #2] It’s true that fracking has led to record extraction of oil and gas in the US, but not necessarily true that it will lead to energy independence because US oil and gas countries sell to the highest bidder whether that is in the US or abroad. Currently, the industry is seeking permits to export methane gas because the prices are higher overseas.
[Lie #3] See Keystone XL Facts