Athens County anti-fracking activists are not alone in their opposition to slowing down fracking in Ohio — in fact, they’re in the majority.
A poll released yesterday by Quinnipiac University found that 72 percent of those polled said fracking should be halted until further studies about its effects are conducted.
But 64 percent of those polled supported drilling for economic benefits, while only 29 percent voiced their concerns about the environmental impact.
The poll surveyed about 1,600 registered voters between Jan. 9 and 16 with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percent. The poll surveyed an almost even number of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a recently developed practice for extracting natural gas from shale formations thousands of feet below the surface. While the practice is widely successful at extracting natural gas, the impacts on the environment, particularly the water table, are raising concerns.
An even larger number of Ohioans, 85 percent, said that drilling for natural gas in Ohio would create jobs. Only 11 percent disagreed.
Despite the majority consensus on the economic promise of fracking, 43 percent of those polled said fracking would cause environmental damage and only 16 percent disagreed. Forty percent were unsure.
dd195710@ohiou.edu
