While the issue of fracking has become a huge debate between the Republican and Democratic parties, one mustn’t forget the other, albeit smaller, parties who have taken a stance on this issue. Rather than explore the usual arguments that Republicans and Democrats have been making, we decided to see what kind of stance the Libertarian party has formed on this issue. According to ISideWith, a polling site, around 65% of Libertarians support fracking. In Colorado, 56% of the public who identifies as Libertarian support fracking. According to this same site, Gary Johnson, the current Libertarian candidate, supports fracking, but believes there needs to be more oversight in fracking activity. Libertarians still remain a small party, and have only recently begun to generate interest in the public, but the amount that supports fracking is actually greater than the Republican party, which is the party that has historically favored this issue. In recent years, the Republican party has begun to split over the issue of fracking. According to a recent Gallup poll, the amount of Republicans that support fracking dropped from 66% to 55% within just one year. Fracking is seen by both parties to be an excellent way to end foreign dependence on oil, and Libertarians especially advocate this. Not only is it a means to finally be in control of the source of oil, but it will then generate businesses and increase revenue in the country. A significant portion of Libertarians do express concern in the environmental impact that fracking has on the environment and agree with Johnson that more oversight is needed. However, fracking could ultimately begin to solve the energy and climate crisis that the world is beginning to experience.
The Libertarian party would be the best party to support us because when looking at the changes in energy production on a global scale, fracking becomes a necessary next step. A majority of the Libertarian party are siding with fracking because it falls within such a grey area. Not enough research has been done to prove its true impact on the earth, yet it has the ability to diminish our foreign dependency on oil and create a self-sustaining means to accrue profit in our own country. Libertarians don’t agree with the difficulties that come with the two-party system; fracking would be limited to the point of inexistence with future Democrats, and Republicans are beginning to argue amongst themselves whether the practice is ethical or not. Libertarians have been focusing on the facts while the Democrats and Republicans are getting lost in the possibilities. For a smaller party, like the Libertarians, to take a strong position on fracking and show a well-thought out and informative plan of action would be an effective way of gaining support for the party.
