#fracking

#fracking

But that began to change in 2015, when oil and gas drillers started fracking operations in the state's northwest corner, known as the Greater Chaco Landscape. Soon, Atencio's grandmother's land was surrounded by noise and air pollution. In 2019, both the land and the water beneath it were contaminated by massive spills that leaked thousands of gallons of oil. Once-abundant plants, including traditional medicinal herbs, no longer grew on the land, and rare birds and wildlife were disappearing, too.

We are, as a state, very beholden to oil and gas.