Trump to privatize American Indian reservations?
Friday, December 16, 2016
Covering just two percent of the United States, Native American reservations may contain nearly a fifth of the nation’s oil and gas, in addition to vast coal reserves, according to CNBC.
With Donald Trump poised to take offices, a group of his advisors on Native American issues want to privatize 56 million acres of tribal lands. The group proposes private ownership to reduce drilling regulations.
The step has the potential to upend more than a century of policy designed to preserve Indian tribes on U.S.-owned reservations.
Learn more: CNBC > Trump advisors aim to privatize oil-rich American Indian reservations
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.