President Obama has outlined a long-term plan to have the United States burn 80 percent “clean energy” by 2035, and natural gas has been touted as a leading source. But there’s one problem: natural gas is not clean.
“Natural gas is a fossil fuel that pollutes in every stage, from extraction to burning,” Hall says. “It pollutes the atmosphere, the soil, and especially the groundwater. It’s a dangerous and deadly source of energy.”
FRACK ATTACK
Compared to mining coal, the footprint of fracking gas is at least 20 percent greater and perhaps more than twice as great on the 20-year horizon, according to a Cornell University study published last month. Fracking results in substantial emissions of methane, which is a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
