Native protecting land from fracking

Written by: Soh Wah

This article discusses the issues that native people are facing when it comes to groundwater. The tribe that involves this issue is Navajo in New Mexico. The Navajo Nation member Atencio has seen the ways oils and gas can divide people. His cousin was working for the industry out in New Mexico and his grandmother lives in the unincorporated town of Counselor. “Now, Atencio sits on the board of Diné CARE, a Navajo-led environmental organization, which is suing the Trump administration for its repeal of an Obama-era fracking rule, which would have implemented better protections for people like Atencio’s grandmother.”(Funes) The place where these people lives are really close to something that can cause lots of money and the government just want to take it and use it as an economy. This becomes a big problem for the tribe because they know that if they don’t protect it, then they will lose the land and the tribes can be divided into separate places.

“This region, as well as the state’s southwest corner, sees the highest concentration of drilling for natural gas in New Mexico. Natural gas activity happens to fall near the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, as well as the Pueblo of Zuni, the Pueblo of Laguna, and the Mescalero Reservation.”(Funes)  President Barack Obama tried to help these groups—as well as everyone else who lives on or near public or tribal lands within the United States—with more transparency surrounding the hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) process used to extract the region’s natural gas, but now that effort is being threatened by President Donald Trump.

When Obama was the president, the Bureau of Land Management passed the fracking rule in 2015 requiring oil and gas companies on public and tribal lands to disclose what chemicals they were using during the drilling process. It also created safeguards against groundwater contamination, by improving well infrastructure and requiring wastewater be stored in tanks instead of pits. “Once again, President Trump and Interior Secretary [Ryan] Zinke didn’t let the law or facts get in their way in their zeal to repeal the 2015 Fracking Rule,” said Attorney General Xavier Becerra, in a press release. “The Interior Department’s own factual record shows that the risks to our health and environment are real.”(Funes) Fracking can cause many problems for the people who are living close to the land because the chemicals that people use during drilling can hurt and affect someone else health. Fracking can also make the water dirtier and it will not be healthy for the tribes who are using the water and drinking water there.

The article says that the study highlights the risks that can accompany fracking: groundwater contamination, earthquakes, and unhealthy newborns. This problem will not only affect the Native people can also hurt the land and destroy many things. “Now, this Obama-era rule wasn’t going to protect everyone from potential health threats, but it would have helped protect anyone who lives on or near the millions of acres of public or tribal lands. That includes 56 million acres of Native American land entrusted to the federal government.”(Funes) Atencio says that “We’re scared that the volatile organic compounds coming from those wells are not being monitored.” Fracking wells also give off methane. It’s a big deal people this can hurt the climate and make the place look worse than ever. We can see that China has this problem because the government doesn’t care about the climate as much as their money. However, this article proves that Native tribes are concern about the climate so they are staying to protect the land to make sure nothing bad happens to it. If we look around our society today, we can see that climate is a big problem because it kills many natures and destroys animals lives too.

“The ultimate goal is to have the [Bureau of Land Management] acknowledge what fracking’s done to these communities and the people living there,” said Donaghy to Earther. He wants the government and people who are working with fracking can see what kind of problems these people have to face. It’s not only about money, but it’s about saving life and land that matters to people who are living there. “We want them to be aware that there is harm being inflicted on people who live in these communities, and they can’t leave their ancestral lands. They should have the right to clean water, clean air, and clean land.”(Funes) Native people who are living close to the land should have the right to do whatever they want to do because they are the first people who live there. This is a big problem and most people should pay attention to it. People should care when it comes to this kind of problem because it can do it hurt Natives people who live close there, it can hurt the climate and make the place worse than it used to be, the water will be dirtier and it can kill many living things. The machine that people use is also a machine that can destroy many things because it can press under the mud really hard. I pick this topic because I feel most people don’t know about it and I think they should care about this kind of problem even though they don’t like close to this Native tribe. If we look deeper and look at the future, if the Native don’t protect this land then it can separate them from each other and make the land become an economy place. So in my conclusion, I hope people know more about this problem that the tribe has to face and should consider that this is a big deal for the tribe and also climate.

Sources

Funes, Yessenia. "For Native People, Fighting Trump's Repeal of Fracking Regulations Is Personal." Earther. 26 Jan. 2018. Earther. 20 Apr. 2019 <https://earther.gizmodo.com/for-native-people-fighting-trumps-repeal-of-fracking-r-1822425906>.

Thompson, Jonathan. “Resistance to Drilling Grows on the Navajo Nation.” Resistance to Drilling Grows on the Navajo Nation (Drilling Chaco) -, 2 Mar. 2018, www.hcn.org/issues/50.4/tribal-affairs-resistance-to-drilling-grows-on-the-navajo-nation.

Womble, Philip, et al. “Indigenous Communities, Groundwater Opportunities.” Science, vol. 361, no. 6401, Aug. 2018, pp. 453–455. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1126/science.aat6041.