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In the late 2000s, advances in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) were hailed as technological breakthroughs that would supply the country with plentiful fuel at less cost to the environment than coal. By blasting water, sand, and chemicals into cracks in the earth, fossil fuel companies could access oil and gas that they never could before. Both the public and private sector were thrilled. “Fracking will get us off foreign oil!” they crowed. “It will bring jobs and prosperity. This clean fuel will be a ‘bridge’ to renewable energy!” But as fracking swept through the country, it became increasingly clear that it would not be the miracle that companies promised. The first to call for a ban on fracking in New York were the Haude- nosaunee Confederacy and the Onondaga Nation. They con- tinuously stated clearly that fracking could not be done safely and provided important leadership, connecting with grassroots groups across the state in addition to weighing in repeatedly with decisionmakers.
Big Oil and Gas Threatens to Bring Fracking to New York
Tadodaho Sid Hill of the Onondaga Nation opens the first rally for a fracking ban in Albany in May 2011.
Photo courtesy of Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON)
“Fracking was never the miracle they promised!”
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People Power vs. Fracking 6
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