The Trump administration is going to auction off 42,000 acres of land for oil and gas development in northern Arizona. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning to auction off this land in September, which will allocate developmental rights to fossil fuel companies without subjection to environmental review.
BLM Versus the Trump Agenda:
According to BLM, around 90% of new oil and gas wells are fracked on public land. Trump’s policies are under contention for forgoing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in its endeavours to frack on public land.
The commitment to frack on public land points to the administration’s pro-industry agenda. The Centre for Biological Diversity is pushing against this agenda, and has previously sued the Trump administration for its advanced oil and gas development policy in Colarado and Ohio.
In April, they sued once again because of the administration’s presumed lack of regard for public interest at the Bureau of Land Management.
This time, Trump’s administration will frack on land that encompass the Little Colorado River, which is within three miles of the Petrified Forest National Park – a nearby habitat for a species called the Little Colorado spinedace.
What is Fracking?
Fracking is the process of drilling through the Earth. The term ‘fracking’ refers to how a rock is fractured apart by a high-pressure mixture.
The Fracking Process:
Once the surface has been drilled into, a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure. This allows the gas to flow out of wells.
Fracking can be a vertical process, but it’s more commonly carried out by horizontally drilling through the rock. This can create new pathways to releasing gas, or it can extend existing channels.
Trump’s policies were issued out in January, which require the BLM to auction lands that are nominated by the fraction industry. They often skip site-specific environmental reviews, and limit public concerns.
Since 2014, BLM records show that the fracking industry requested 145 parcels in northern Arizona for gas and oil leasing. This is mainly near the Hurricane Cliffs, and the Big Valley.
Advantages to Fracking:
- It allows drilling systems to access potentially difficult access points to oil and gas.
- In the United States, fracking has boosted domestic oil production and driven down the price of gas.
Potential Issues:
Fracking utilizes large amounts of water, of which transferring it to the site of extraction proves costly. Environmental reports cite potential carcinogenic chemicals released into the atmosphere, contaminating groundwater around fracking sites.
Fracking pollution can enter waters through leaks and spills. The escape of methane gas and other contaminants from the well seep into the groundwater and state data points to over 1,000 cases of water contamination due to unclean operations.
Even when fracking wastewater is treated at treatment plants, it doesn’t guarantee its safety. For example, bromide present in wastewater mixes with chlorine (used at drinking water treatment plants), which ultimately produces trihalomethanes – a chemical that causes cancer and reproductive health problems.
Some suggest that fracking is not inherently risky, although bad practice is cause for major environmental disruption. We hope Trump’s administration comes to an agreement with the BLM.
