A law known as the "Halliburton Loophole" is under growing scrutiny. It exempts oil and gas companies from revealing the chemicals they use in the hydraulic fracking process.

The latest study finds between 2014 and 2021, companies used hundreds of millions of pounds of toxic chemicals - without any governmental oversight.

Another report published last year by scientists and medical organizations says living near fracking sites increases risks for cancer, respiratory diseases, heart problems, birth defects and more.

Leatra Harper, managing director of the Freshwater Accountability Project, explained that the loophole prevents communities from understanding potential harms.

"People need to know what the exposures could be," said Harper. "We need to know what the chemicals are to look for when we find water contamination. And we don't even know how to test for it, because we don't know what to test for."

The Independent Petroleum Association of America and other industry groups argue that fracking poses little to no risk of harmful health effects.

The group FracTracker estimates hydraulically fractured wells produce about 2.3% of the oil and gas output in Ohio.

Harper added that previously proposed federal legislation would have addressed the issue by requiring companies to reveal which chemicals they use in the fracking process.

"There's something called the FRAC Act that has just basically been mothballed," said Harper. "And we need to revive that and fix this problem that started at the federal level, that allowed this industry to take off."

As of 2022, hydraulic fracturing techniques have been used on an estimated 1.7 million wells across the U.S.

If states like Minnesota are going to meet their climate goals, experts say younger workers will need to step into the roles to make it happen - like forest management. The Biden administration is reviving plans for that type of workforce. The White House has announced its American Climate Corps project, which involves hiring 20,000 people to be trained for these positions. Minnesota is among the states moving forward with their own, similar efforts.

Julia Nerbonne, executive director of Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, said the young adults being eyed for the work present an opportunity for cross-generational learning.

"Getting some of these young people into places where they can learn from elders in their community and folks who are out there getting the job done will be valuable," she explained. "But I also think that all of us have a lot to learn from the next generation."

The move comes as President Biden faces more pressure from youth climate activists, who want him to be more aggressive in pursuing mitigation efforts. An earlier larger-scale workforce model was scrapped during congressional negotiations. The plan has drawn comparisons to the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

Danielle Hefferan, regional Minnesota education coordinator for Climate Generation, said students have shown great deal of concern about the need for environmental solutions, but added it is not enough to push schools to teach them about it - adding these state and federal initiatives give them clearer pathways for many different roles.

"There's communication folks, storytellers, farmers - so many different roles that could be a, quote, 'climate job' and help advance towards climate solutions," she continued.

Peter Nelson, vice president of impact and innovation for Serve Minnesota, which oversees AmeriCorps programs in the state, said these new efforts as enhancing their climate work, such as getting folks trained to recruit volunteers.

"We want to get people into these service programs, to get them employed, working in areas that they're passionate about. But it's also about getting the word out - engaging with our community, because it really is [an] all hands-on deck situation," he explained.


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A new federal jobs program aims to mobilize tens of thousands of young Americans to address the growing threats of climate change.

The American Climate Corps is modeled after public works programs created during the Great Depression, with a new focus on building green energy and climate resilience.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey - D-MA - called it ambitious, just and pro-union.

"The tens of thousands of American Climate Corps members will not just help us save the world from climate threats," said Markey, "they will help us build a world worth saving."

President Joe Biden created the program through an executive order after the effort was thwarted by Republicans in Congress, who questioned its cost.

American Climate Corps members can sign up online for paid training opportunities in land and water restoration, energy-efficiency technologies and more.

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez - D-NY - said the program is an important part of the Green New Deal, a legislative proposal backed by climate activists.

"We are starting to turn the green dream into a green reality," said Ocasio Cortez. "You all are changing the world."

Ocasio-Cortez said the American Climate Corps will focus on equity and environmental justice, prioritizing communities that have been disproportionately affected by climate change.

Lawmakers credited young environmental activists for pressuring the White House to create the jobs training program. College student John Paul Mejia - an organizer with the Sunrise Movement - thanked President Biden for listening.

"Thousands of young people were out on the streets asking for more," said Mejia. "You got young people's attention. You decide what you do with it."

They're now circulating a petition, calling on the president to declare climate change a national emergency.

And five states also announced the creation of their own Climate Corps, bringing the total number of state-level programs to ten.




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In rural Alabama, where hurricanes and tornadoes are a constant threat, communities often struggle with damage and limited resources for extended periods.

The nonprofit Hometown Organizing Project is stepping in to help. Through their Climate Protection Canvass initiative, they are forming teams to support communities during severe storms.

Messiah William-Cole, mayor of Camp Hill, said rural communities rely on outside funding for storm recovery help. The support is crucial in his own community, which is still recovering from unprecedented flooding and damage caused by a hailstorm six months ago.

"All homes in our municipality's jurisdiction took damage, roofs were damaged," William-Cole recounted. "When we did a damage assessment 76 % of our towns cars were damaged. "

The Climate Protection Canvass will help communities in Colbert, Coosa, Dallas, Tallapoosa, and Walker counties. Organizers said it is a long-term, four-phase project, which will take place over two to three years. It includes story sharing, a community road tour, political education training, and the development of community protection teams.

Environmental Protection Agency data project Alabama will see warmer weather and more severe flooding and drought.

Michaela Lovegood, executive director of the Political Healers Project, will work with the Hometown Organizing Project on the canvass. She said weather pattern changes are a global problem, and stressed the need for long-term commitment to mobilize communities to take the lead in climate protection.

"The importance that we are putting here is that we are trying to create climate protection where local communities have the training development and the support in order to be able to create the kind of response, recovery work and plan they need," Lovegood outlined.

NOAA has recorded 15 weather-related disasters in 2023, each causing at least $1 billion in damage.


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