Fracking foes oppose likely Secretary of Energy pick
Dr. Ernest Moniz has close ties to oil and gas industry
President Obama’s rumored pick for Secretary Energy is drawing loud “boos” from a coalition of anti-fracking groups, who say the appointment of Dr. Ernest Moniz would be “a major step backwards” in addressing the problems caused by climate change.
Americans Against Fracking is urging Obama to reconsider his selection. The Massachusetts Institution of Technology (MIT) physics professor has been an outspoken proponent of hydraulic fracturing, a controversial method of obtaining natural gas also known as “fracking.” Moniz is director of MIT’s Energy Initiative, whose founding members include Shell, Saudi Aramco, ENI and BP Technology Ventures, Inc.