How to make your portfolio “fracking-free”
As the 2016 presidential campaign gets into full swing, voters across the country have an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates on important issues. Neither of the two major political parties has taken a coherent, ethically rigorous stance on hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” But there are other ways for the ecologically conscious to make their voices heard on this issue, including voting with their pocketbooks. Fracking, which involves using a highly pressurized mix of water, sand, and toxic chemicals to unlock oil and natural gas from shale rock buried miles underground, is recognized by experts as dangerous. Fracking can cause methane leaks (a greenhouse gas that’s much more harmful than carbon dioxide) and seismic activity and can set water ablaze. And if methane, flammable water, and earthquakes weren’t bad enough, other problems with fracking include excessive water consumption, waste management issues, and air pollution. Thanks to fracking, the United States is now the world’s leading producer of oil and natural gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA estimates that total U.S. gas production from 2012 to 2040 will increase 56 percent, with natural gas from shale as the leading contributor. The shale gas share of total