The State of Fracking May Be Changing…
In an update to our covering the fracking (hydraulic fracturing) production of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale, there are things happening and statements being made worldwide against the practice… even from the industry itself (however, these are for capital reasons and not for the environmental dangers that most of us are concerned with.)
If you want to review how fracking works, the National Geographic has a very good animated illustration HERE (although it does not adequately address the polluting of the water table – indeed, it more or less shows the industry point of view.)
France, as a nation, has now completely banned Fracking because of the pollution of water supplies by chemicals used in the process such as Benzine (a carcinogen), Toluene (a central nervous system depressant) and Xylene (a neurotoxin.) French Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said before the French National Assembly vote:
“We are at the end of a legislative marathon that stirred emotion from lawmakers and the public. Hydraulic fracturing will be illegal and parliament would have to vote for a new law to allow research using the technique.”
In this country, the New Jersey State Senate voted to ban the practice, which contaminates drinking waterand North Carolina’s Governor Bev Perdue vetoed a state senate bill that would have allowed fracking in the state. Here in West Virginia, which is on part of the Marcellus Shale, the energy industry has so far retained its hold. The New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is poised to lift the ban on fracking, however he state issued new guidelines for fracking that will prohibit the practice in state parks and in the New York City and Syracuse watersheds.
New York State Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, an opponent of fracking, in a statement on Cuomo’s position, said:
“If hydrofracking is not safe in the New York City watershed it’s not safe in any watershed. There’s a tacit admission on the part of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) that it is not safe and yet it is being allowed.”
Related articles
- NY Times Article Prompts Hasty Press Statement by DEC and Riles Anti-Fracking Community (unitedforaction.org)
- Stop the pipeline, Stop Fracking (saneenergyproject.org)
- Reason.tv: The Truth About Fracking (reason.com)
- Fracking Still on Hold in New York Pending Environmental Review (propublica.org)
- Buffalo to Natural Gas Industry: Frack You (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
- Protesters Rally on New York State Capitol Steps Against Hydraulic Fracturing (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
- France Bans Fracking; New York Set to Un-Ban It (newser.com)
- Major Fracking Accident in Pennsylvania… (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
- France Becomes First Country To Ban Fracking; Gas Drilling Still A Go (desmogblog.com)
- Fracking brings risk Ohioans should avoid (sdobbie46.wordpress.com)
- Energy Secretary Appoints Fracking Study Panel (treehugger.com)
- New Jersey Senate Passes Fracking Ban (desmogblog.com)
- Shale gas ‘fracking’ halted in UK amid earthquake fears (thestar.com)
Posted on July 7, 2011, in Business, Climate Change, Congress, Corporations, crime, Economics, Education, ethics, Finance, food, government, Health Care, history, Legal, Lies, News, Opinion, Organic Gardening, Politics, President Obama, quote, Science, vote, Warning, Weather, Word from Bill, World News and tagged Bev Perdue, Hydraulic fracturing, Marcellus Formation, Marcellus Shale, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, New York, New York City, Safe Drinking Water Act. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
As a former West Virginian my heart breaks over the rape of the state by the coal companies. A flight over the state reveals naked mountains where mountaintop removal has destroyed everything in its path. Along with this has come increased diseases and birth defects which was recently publicized in a study. I’m afraid this is a forerunner of what could happen if natural gas drilling and fracking becomes wide spread. We must stop this now before it destroys the clean air and water of our country.