A group of New York farmers and activists recently rallied at the state capitol to protest fracking.
Hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, is an increasingly popular way to exploit energy deposits across the country. The process essentially injects water or other fluid into rock formations, fracturing the rocks and allowing access to otherwise inaccessible oil or petroleum reservoirs.
The process has been a major boon to some farmers, who have sold the mineral rights to their farmland, gaining a quick cash boost. However, many farmers who have signed away these rights have reported major degradation of their cropland.
In addition to the potential losses incurred by farmers signing away the rights to their land, many of the farmers who gathered in Albany expressed concerns that fracking could pollute waterways and damage the local environment, hurting their ability to raise crops. According to one farmers, if fracking tainted local springs, “I wouldn’t be able to raise vegetables anymore. I wouldn’t be able to irrigate my vegetables. I wouldn’t be able to water my chickens; and, we wouldn’t have anything to sell to feed people in this area.”
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer