Posted by: Noël Jones
This is getting out of hand--are we worried yet? Worried enough to DO something? Each an every one of us? Not only does the fracking process for extracting natural gas threaten to contaminate drinking water with carcinogens, neurotoxins and endocrine disruptors for 15 million residents of four states (including PA), but the accidents keep coming--explosions, fires, home evacuations--at what point to we as citizens stand up in enough numbers to say the risks of permitting tens of thousands of gas wells to be drilled in the watersheds that supply our drinking water outweigh the benefits?
This well was drilled by Chesapeake Gas, who is in the top five on the state's list of drillers with violations from last year.
Time to TAKE ACTION:
There are hundreds of residents from PA/NJ/NY in Trenton today speaking up at one of the few hearings set up for public comment on this critical issue. PLEASE EMAIL THE DRBC (Delaware River Basin Commission) AND TELL THEM TO NOT DEVELOP REGULATIONS UNTIL THE EPA CUMULATIVE IMPACT STUDY IS COMPLETE! ALSO ASK THEM TO EXTEND THE PERIOD FOR PULBIC COMMENT AND EXPAND THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC HEARINGS SO THAT MORE RESIDENTS IN MORE TOWNS CAN EXPRESS THEIR CONCERNS. HERE'S THE EMAIL ADDRESS: clarke.rupert@drbc.state.nj.us
ALSO, PLEASE WRITE TO GOV. TOM CORBETT, REP. BOB FREEMAN AND SEN. BOB MENSCH by using the links to government sites on the right side of this blog's home page, and ask them to SUPPORT A STATE-WIDE MORATORIUM ON DRILLING UNTIL THE EPA STUDY IS COMPLETE AND HEALTH RISKS CAN BE ASSESSED.
STOP THIS GOLD RUSH! It is not worth explosions, fires, deaths, burn victims, and/or losing access to clean drinking water for free from the taps in our homes! It is official--THESE CORPORATIONS DO NOT CARE about us, they are getting rich, and don't care how many millions of people they threaten to hurt, kill or make seriously ill in the process. WE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR OURSELVES.
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16 comments:
I'd love to say this comes as a shock, but it doesn't. Hopefully this is a wake up call, but I doubt it. There is money to be made here, and we've proven lately that such things are our only priority.
Still, if the toll of human lives gets high enough, just maybe we can get them to take safety more seriously.
Peace,
David
So, I just cut a pasted the email, and some text, and sent it off, took about 30 seconds.
Thanks,
David
It was interesting to read in the Express Times the other day that most of the people who showed up to speak at the Commissions public hearings were FOR fracking in Pa with less regulation. I have lived long enough to know that 1. the hearings are being held in out of the way places for a reason. 2. the corporations pay people to show up and act like citizens to speak on their behalf 3. how come we don't hear any publicity on hearings until the day of?
Dear Noel:
As usual, I completely disagree with you. I say "frack it and tax it." We just had a complete natural gas explosion and meltdown in Allentown. Does that mean we outlaw the use of natural gas? In your world of left-wing tunnel vision, this is a logical path to follow.
While we are at it, let's stop burning oil and coal because it pollutes the planet. Instead, let's use dried shit to heat our home and cook with. It worked for centuries for the Chinese! What a great social solution!!!
I saved the WORLD when I smelled gas on 5th street...all the homes were evacuated for 2 days....I didnt even get a purple cow black raspberry ice cream....Thats the last tome I am gonna save the world...No more Mr Nice Guy....I yuv U noel.....Tunsie
I completely agree with using this natural resource, I just disagree with a method of doing so that has absolutely proven itself to be dangerous to pretty much every living thing on the planet. Other means are available, but fracking is faster and cheaper. If the company actually gave a pee about human life, they would be for stringent safety and fair regulation. I'm definitely on board with drill it and tax it, but this isn't global warming or some other such thing with a questionable outcome . Fracking is dangerous to pretty much everything that lives. Do it safe, get it done and gods bless.
Peace,
David
I'm curious btw if anyone knows how much fighting this fire is going to cost the towns and counties that have sent fire fighters? (15 different companies so far)
How many of our tax dollars are being spent here?
Is the company going to be held responsible for paying for it?
david--thanks for sending the email.
cathy--i went to the last hearing in Trenton, and unfortunately there were residents fighting for their right to have drilling on their land because they wanted the lease money. there were many more residents there against water contamination.
Caine--you are welcome to disagree with me--it would be a boring forum if every agreed with me all the time. but in answer to your rhetorical question, the answer is yes, i would like for us to get as far off fossil fuels as possible in favor of renewable energy development. i love it when people try to tag me as a liberal--then they get all confused when i criticize the unions or demand lower taxes at a school board meeting. there are a lot of independent thinkers in our area that are neither liberal nor conservative, but have views that fall on one side and another on an issue by issue basis...
i've got to ask you this though--do you REALLY not have a problem with carcinogens, neurotoxins and endocrine disruptors being dumped into your drinking water source?
I think you have hit a nail on the head here, and that is that our two major national parties don't really represent us any more. Though I also think you lean more to the left, I think / hope such labels may become a thing of the past. I lean more to the right, but I think this is just a common sense issue. We want to be poisoned or we don't. I did finally get an answer to how we're going to be replacing some state and local workers across the US btw, and it's by using prisoner labor. Which apparently has become quite the rage. I'm curious if we could do that here? Not to undermine local unions, but to support them in menial stuff like street beautification , litter removal, quality of life stuff?
Peace,
David
Geothermal is a perfectly good approach to heating. Also construction of passive houses as they are doing in Germany.Of course this would leave all the plastic home builders and their owners up a creek. Investing money in any fossil fuel strategy is throwing good money after bad. On the other hand...there's no such thing as good money these days. What kind of house do you live in Caine Michaels? And re: "social solutions" how is your social life? Are you happy with your money? Between your lines it is clear that you are angry and that you probably don't cope well with change. Good luck with that.
excellent articles on thisa subject in today's NY Times
Here is the 5-page article from the NYTimes who has finally decided to put this issue on the front page:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/us/27gas.html?_r=2&hp
Better late than never.
Actually the NYT has been running comments on this for a year or more now. This particular article , and accompanying video article highlight the ability of these companies post deregulation to utterly thwart nad overwhelm almost all attempts at regulation. A fine structure that makes it cheaper to just pay fines than do business legally and growing anecdotal proof of Air pollution and it's effects on individuals as well as ground and water pollution.
If it's an interest look in the comments section for a cross section of how we Americans feel on the issues presented.
Peace,
David
Since I have a minute. What is never looked at with all of this sort of quick money stuff is the long term effect. We've just had a fire, and that cost a lot of towns a lot of money. If these employees did not have insurance and are permanently injured, they go on SSD , more money out of our pockets. Anyone seriously injured or crippled by dumping, air pollution, etc... most likely will not settle with the companies, but will end up on state or federal disability. What we never ask is how much this gold rush of taxes is going to cost a decade from now. And At least for myself I think it's probably going to cost far more than we make from it. Discounting the science which some idiot will argue for a quick profit , is wrong until the cows come home, this is probably going to cost more in taxes long term than it makes.
Just my two cents,
David
NYT to my knowledge has not featured the issue on the front page before. They've covered natural gas drilling here and there, but always as if the pros and cons were even and not highlighting the dangers as they have finally done in this article. I'm very glad to see these health concerns hit the front page of the mainstream...I guess the mainstream has finally realized that they are downstream...
Please see my latest post on this, '"Pennsylvania, Ground Zero' According to NYTimes"
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