Implementing any technology requires maintaining a delicate balance between its potential economic benefits and the harm caused by it, and fracking is no different. The general awareness of the public towards fossil fuels has made them skeptical about it. Although getting rid of fossil fuels is a decades-long process, small steps in the right direction could be taken immediately. Fracking contributes a lot of potential damage to the communities and environment, which cannot be justified by the economic benefits; therefore, it must be banned in the state of North Dakota.

First of all, there is the health problems associated with fracking. According to one study, more than 17 million Americans live within one mile of an oil and gas well. In North Dakota, the oil and gas resources are concentrated in Bakken and Three Formations, located in the Williston Basin. There are hundreds of documented cases of water contamination from fracking. Fracking pollutes the air North Dakotans breathe and contaminates the drinking water. It also has an impact on the state’s economy because businesses and consumers need safe water to thrive. People living near fracking areas have suffered nausea, headaches, rashes, dizziness, and other illnesses.

The second issue with fracking is the harm caused to the environment. All the operations involved in fracking contribute to air pollution, whether it is road and pipeline construction, well drilling, natural gas processing, transportation, or storage. The main pollutants released are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen and sulfur. VOC reacts with oxides of nitrogen to form smog, which is a combination of smoke and fog that is dangerous to breathe. Fracking also produces a lot of wastewater. It has been estimated that fracking produces half a barrel of wastewater for every barrel of oil produced. 

Finally, fracking is also related to the increased seismic activity caused by drilling into the earth. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for a disposal well to induce seismic activities, three factors are needed: sufficient pressure, a fault of concern (a fault that is significantly stressed), and a line allowing increased pressure to move from a well to the fault line. Since fracking requires high-pressure injection of water and chemicals, it can and has produced earthquakes even if they remain relatively small on the Richter Scale.

All of the above factors have economic consequences as well. As a matter of fact, a healthy economy requires healthy individuals. And with fracking in action, the health of the masses is in danger, ultimately resulting in the loss of human resources.

The looming climate catastrophe is forcing society to rethink the dependency on fossil fuels. The environment cannot survive if fossil fuels continue to be depleted at the current rate. When the technique for the extraction of resources is also harmful, the danger is multiplied. The potential economic benefits that come from fracking do not outweigh the negative consequences. Fracking makes people sick, contaminates the air and water that people use, and damages the climate. Therefore, it is necessary for the health and safety of North Dakotans that elected officials of the state of North Dakota ban this technology.