Friday, January 20, 2012

Fracking News From Around The World

A Nightmare Coming To Sullivan County...FRACKING
Here in New York, fracking is big news as the NYDEC wades through some 40,000 comments deciding which ones they feel have enough merit to warrant a response...I guess that means most of us ordinary folks will see our comments ignored.  Meanwhile, thought it time for another news update here, so here are some of the fracking stories grabbing headlines this week.  Now I would like to pose one question...seems there is some concern on the part of the EPA about elevated levels of radioactivity in the waste water streams from Hydraulic Fracturing...seems to be, dependent on the elevated levels found in these waters from hydraulic fracturing activities, that operators/well owners should also be required to be licensed with the NRC? 

Out in Nebraska, Oil executives are defending fracking...so surprise there.  More importantly, they are lining up shoulder to shoulder in a full court press to defeat a bill that would require them to making chemicals used in the process a matter of public record.  One question oil company executives...if as you claim, all those chemicals being used in hydraulic fracturing are so SAFE FOR US, why are you all objecting to a law that would make you tell us what they are?  Birth Defects killed 153.1 out of every 100,000 babies born in Nebraska in 2001, the infant mortality rate due to birth defects accounting for 22.6% of all infant deaths...shouldn't citizens be allowed to know if some of those death causing birth defects were caused from chemicals being used in Hydraulic Fracturing Mr. Executive?

Leave it to companies like Haliburton to make something ugly hideous! As if fracking is not bad enough, we have companies trying to bring us SUPER FRACKING...you cannot make this up.  Love the quote at the bottom of this article, which pretty well sums it up:

The bottom line: Despite the furor over fracking to extract oil, energy companies are developing ways to make it more destructive—and profitable.

Last, but certainly not least...haven't we learned our lesson from the Nuclear Industry, that an industry should be required to have a plan to deal with its waste streams BEFORE they do something?  Sorry, but drilling 5,000 holes into the ground and dumping your waste streams IS NOT A PLAN, though that is exactly what the Hydraulic Fracturing industry is doing!

Governor Cuomo should adhere to the will of the people (as in the majority of New Yorkers) and ban fracking in our state...sadly, not only will he not do this, but he is bent on destroying our state parks in the process by selling Natural Gas rights in them to the villains he is supposed to be regulating.