[CRNMC] Dangers of fracking & a note about the legality of the ordinance

[Shannon Biggs]

Nicely done. But FYI ­ this is important ­ in California most of the
fracking is for OIL not gas. Some other states too.


On 10/7/14 1:58 AM, "Kelly Larson" <solarkelly at gmail.com> wrote:

> Beautifully written and inspiring.  Thank you, Karina!
> 
> On Sat, Oct 4, 2014 at 6:43 PM, karinajoy <karinacotler at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Anyone who wishes to use all or part of this for the roadshow or anything
>> else, please feel free. 
>> 
>> I gave this short talk at the Willits event and it was well received. 
>> 
>> Karina
>> 
>> Dangers of Fracking
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> So what is fracking?  Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing is a process of
>> drilling deep into the earth,  past the aquifer and into a layer of shale,
>> then drilling horizontally for thousands of feet, and pumping a mixture of
>> water, sand and chemicals at such high pressure, it fractures the shale and
>> releases the methane gas that¹s trapped within. Millions of gallons of this
>> fracking fluid is injected into each well. Each well uses millions of gallons
>> of water and 40,000 gallons of chemicals, none of which they are required to
>> disclose, but include arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, lead, mercury,
>> hydrochloric acid, radium and uranium... The only thing they are prohibited
>> by law from using is deisel fuel. 
>> 
>> The fracking industry, thanks to Dick Cheney, is exempt from the Safe
>> Drinking Water Act, and the Clean Air Act and has loopholes in many other
>> laws that were intended to protect us from exactly this kind of threat.
>> 
>> What are the dangers of fracking, in short?
>> 
>> First, only 25-50% of the fracking fluid is recovered. The rest stays in the
>> earth and can slowly seep up into the aquifer over time.  The recovered
>> fracking fluid is stored in lined pits, which evaporate and can leak - or
>> it¹s injected deep into the earth and is suspected of causing over 1000
>> earthquakes in states which rarely experience them. 
>> 
>> 2nd, the released methane not captured by the well pump, can rise up towards
>> the surface thru the fissures and into the aquifer - and then into people¹s
>> wells. Methane is an explosive hazard (meaning your house or the well itself
>> could explode), and it¹s toxic to humans. In Gasland 2, using a special
>> camera, one can see huge clouds of methane pouring from the fracking wells.
>> 
>> 3rd, the fracking drills are encased in cement and according to the gas
>> industry, over 5% of all these cement casings fail immediately and after 30
>> years, at least 50% will have failed and leaked. So if there are 1000 wells
>> in the county, within 30 years, at least 500 of them will be leaking methane
>> and some undisclosed chemical soup into the ground and into our water.
>> 
>> Especially in a time of drought, diverting water from agriculture to fracking
>> is a really bad idea.
>> 
>> And the health consequences are equally bad and only beginning to be studied.
>> So far, it¹s been documented to cause low birth weight and an increase in
>> birth defects, nosebleeds, severe headaches, rashes and lung problems. 15
>> million Americans now live within a mile of a fracking well and one million
>> new wells are planned in the next decade. In Illinois, there is a housing
>> development where many of the homes have fracking wells in their back yards!
>> 
>> We should all be aware that not only will our home owners insurance not cover
>> us, in the event of a fracking ³accident², but if you consent to have a well
>> on your property, you can be held personally liable for any damage caused by
>> the fracking operation, once the gas company leaves.  A Texas rancher, who
>> has to haul in $1000 worth of water each month because his well is full of
>> gas, is being sued for defamation by the gas company! So, if we don¹t stand
>> together to ban fracking, each one of us harmed will have to stand alone and
>> defend ourselves. 
>> 
>> *********************************
>> 
>> Regarding the issue of these ordinances being illegal: We have inalienable
>> rights by virtue of being born human. These rights were not given to us by
>> government, nor can they be taken away - that is why they are called
>> inalienable. The Declaration of Independence states that it is the function
>> of government to protect those rights. Therefore any ³law² which takes away
>> our fundamental right to protect the health and safety of our families and
>> communities is an illegitimate law, and we have every right to repudiate
>> these so called ³laws² - in fact, I believe it is our duty as human beings to
>> do so, just as our forebears did in 1776. The great American Revolution has
>> been highjacked - mostly by the courts. Isn¹t is time to stand up and reclaim
>> our fundamental, inalienable Rights? That is what measure S does.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Oct 4, 2014, at 4:28 PM, Beth Brenneman wrote:
>> 
>>> To send me the frack speech.  Soon.  Thanks, Beth

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