Fracking is crucial to our country’s energy security and our state’s future.
In 2013, America’s fracking revolution helped the United States become the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world. This steady supply of domestic energy reduces America’s dependence on foreign countries and unstable, hostile regimes to meet our growing energy needs. And, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, thanks to states like Colorado, the U.S. maintained its position as the world-leading producer of natural gas in 2015.
Maintaining a steady supply of reliable and affordable domestic energy is key to strengthening America’s national security. Recently, thanks to innovations in fracking technology, states like Colorado are setting the bar for safe energy production and putting the U.S. on the path towards greater energy security.
According to Forbes, fracking and advancements in responsible energy production including horizontal drilling, have made the U.S. “the world’s pre-eminent energy powerhouse” and, “it is the ability to access these gigantic, previously-inaccessible mineral resources that have enhanced our country’s strategic position in the world so dramatically.” Colorado is one of the largest natural gas producers in the U.S. and a global energy leader, thanks to technology like hydraulic fracturing. In fact, fracking supports more than 232,000 jobs in Colorado alone and generates billions of dollars in economic activity across our state from businesses to parks.
“It is the ability to access these gigantic, previously-inaccessible mineral resources that have enhanced our country’s strategic position in the world so dramatically.”
—Forbes (2016)
By harnessing domestic energy, the U.S. can pursue a foreign policy agenda from a position of strength rather than making decisions based on our energy needs.