Fracking ban would devastate economy, yield no climate benefits

Several presidential candidates have promised to ban hydraulic fracturing, a technology that is a major reason the United States leads the world in carbon dioxide (CO2) reductions this century, has enjoyed an unprecedented 10 consecutive years of economic growth and is on the brink of long-coveted energy independence. A fracking ban would likely reverse all of these trends, which is why International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol’s view that such a policy “would not be good news” for the United States is a massive understatement.

Read the full Southern Illinoisan op-ed here.