The argument over hydraulic fracturing has become increasingly polarized. Some environmental groups have demanded a nationwide moratorium because of complaints about polluted drinking water in wells. Meanwhile, industry officials and many politicians extol fracturing and insist there is already more than enough regulation.
The three main arguments for hydraulic fracturing are: the economic viability and benefits, the fact that fracking is a cleaner and safer alternative to coal and oil, and the freedom from foreign oil. Only two of these arguments are true and are only true to a certain extent. Yes, there would be a growth in the job market but who gets these jobs? Not the people of Williamsport, Pennsylvania who have suffered from not only the environmental damages of fracking but also the socio-economic impacts that comes silently along with it. According to an interview in the winter edition of The No Frack Almanac, Navarro Adams and Jim Laverty have not seen any of the benefits that gas companies have promised. In fact, they claim that life has gotten harder for them since the introduction of fracking in their area. Adams himself says, "They're throwing people out their places that have been there for ten or fifteen years, just so they can grab the gas money. I've seen this. I know this for a fact" (Alderson 6) Both then spoke about how rent and food prices have been exacerbated. Adams claimed that since the gas guys arrived, he has watched a loaf of bread change from $1.69 to $2.69 in just two months. .
Laverty, a former war hero and prisoner of war, watched in disbelief as his rent skyrocketed from $400 to $900 a month. When asked if he had applied for a job at one of the gas company, Laverty explained how he couldn't work due to a heart disease (Alderson 6). There are also major risks of economic catastrophes that come along with fracking. For example, New York has one of the cleanest drinking water systems in the world, the Hudson River, which has allowed it to save a tremendous amount of money in filtration plants.