Bernie Sanders: „It is time to ban fracking“

Bernie Sanders:
„It is time to ban fracking“

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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday contrasted his call for a nationwide ban on fracking to Hillary Clinton’s shifting stand on the extreme and risky method of drilling for oil and gas.

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Sanders also began airing a new television ad on fracking calling him the only candidate for president who would ban fracking everywhere.

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“The growing body of evidence tells us
that fracking is a danger to our water supply,
our most precious resource.
It is a danger to the air we breathe.
It has resulted in more earthquakes.
It is highly explosive.
And it is contributing to climate change,”

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Sanders told 5,000 supporters inside Veterans Memorial Arena here in the Southern Tier region of New York known as the “fracking belt.”

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New York and Sanders’ home state of Vermont have banned fracking. There’s a moratorium on the drilling technique in Maryland.

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“I want to applaud you for standing up to Gov. Cuomo and demanding that New York state ban fracking,”

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Sanders told the audience. But he added:

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“If we are serious, we need to put an end to fracking not only in New York and Vermont but all over this country.”

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The toxic chemicals used in fracking are known to cause cancer and birth defects, he said.

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“We cannot,
we must not allow our children
to be poisoned by toxic drinking water
just so a handful of fossil fuel companies can make even more profits,”

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Sanders added.

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Sanders also noted that Clinton promoted fracking overseas when she was secretary of state. He called their records on fracking and other environmental issues one of the “very important differences” between the candidates for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

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He also noted other differences with Clinton on climate change and the environment. Sanders led the fight to stop the Keystone XL pipeline to transport “some of the dirtiest fuel on the planet” from Canada’s tar sands region to Gulf Coast refineries. She was a latecomer to opposing the controversial pipeline’s construction. He has introduced legislation calling for a carbon tax to discourage use of greenhouse-gas emitting fossil fuels that cause climate change. She doesn’t support a carbon tax. He consistently opposed offshore drilling. Clinton has not. He would end leases for the extraction of fossil fuel on public lands. Clinton would not.

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“If we are going to leave this planet in a way that is healthy and habitable for future generations we need bold action now,”

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Sanders said.

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Source:
Bernie Sanders

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