Energy and Environment

Stakes are high in fracking debate on Indian reservations

By Zack Colman

Published August 7, 2014 9:00am ET

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Stakes are high in fracking debate on Indian reservations — A house in Mandaree, N.D., on the Fort Berthold Indian . AnÃÂ underground pipeline several miles from Mandaree spewed 1 million gallons of saltwater, an oil production byproduct, into North Dakota's badlands in early July. For reservation residents, there is a difficult balance between the potential prosperity of oil and gas and the conservation of a land regarded as sacred by cultural beliefs. (AP Photo/Josh Wood) | Josh Wood

For Native Americans, the debate over fracking on reservations is not much different from the arguments elsewhere. But the stakes are vastly higher.

For many tribes in the United States, allowing hydraulic fracturing to drill for fossil fuels offers an economic boost in areas that have few options. But concerns about the damage it may do to the environment are compounded by centuries-old ties to the land.

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Fracking Interior Native Americans Natural Gas North Dakota Oil PennAve Sally Jewell