Watchdog: Trump's Plan to Allow Fracking in Nevada Threatens Wildlife

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump’s plan to auction hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Nevada for fracking threatens wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) said in a press release.

"This fracking plan puts people, wildlife and communities at risk. It threatens to destroy spectacular places like Monitor Valley that Nevadans cherish," CBD’s Nevada director Patrick Donelly said on Tuesday.

CBD joined other conservation groups and state’s Senator Tick Segerblom in filing a challenge to Trump’s plan.

Fracking is a technique that uses high-pressure injection of water, sand and chemicals to extract oil and natural gas from underground shale formations.

In addition to potential groundwater contamination from the chemicals, scientists have noted that fracking causes below-ground rocks to shift, potentially increasing seismic activity.