Ten Years Later, the “Halliburton Loophole” and America’s Dirty Fracking Boom
This past Saturday, Aug. 8 marked a notable 10th anniversary.
But it was certainly nothing to celebrate. Ten years ago, President
George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The giant energy
bill included massive giveaways for the fossil fuel, nuclear and ethanol
industries, and provided only token incentives for renewables and
improved energy efficiency. But the most infamous piece of the law was
what is now commonly known as the “Halliburton Loophole,” an
egregious regulatory exemption that ushered in the disastrous era of
widespread oil and gas fracking that currently grips our nation.
Fracking – the extreme oil and gas extraction method that involves
blasting millions of gallons of water mixed with toxic chemicals
underground at enormous pressures to break apart subterranean rock – has
exploded in the last decade. More than 270,000 wells have been fracked
in 25 states throughout the nation. More than 10 million Americans live
within a mile of a fracking site. This means that 10 million Americans –
and truly many more – have been placed directly in harm’s way. Hundreds
of peer-reviewed studies have connected fracking to serious human
health effects, including cancer, asthma and birth defects.
Former
vice president Dick Cheney was President and CEO of Halliburton for
five years before returning to government with the Bush administration
in 2000. (Photo: Getty/file)
vice president Dick Cheney was President and CEO of Halliburton for
five years before returning to government with the Bush administration
in 2000. (Photo: Getty/file)
