July 18, 2014 – A technique that is called ‘hydraulic-fracturing’ is a method used by the oil and gas industries to extract oil and shale gas that has been buried for centuries beneath the shale rock formations throughout the US. Through the use of a technology called ‘fracking’ these industries are extracting these shale oil and gas deposits at unprecedented rates, with numerous risks to people, water, farmland, vegetation and all inhabitants-both human and animal. Learn about this new source of energy production–and the aftermath of pollution that emerges–from water contamination, human exposure, earthquakes, to methane leakage–all of which are detrimental to human health and quality of life. Are the risks too great? And if so, who’s paying the price? To learn more about this costly energy misadventure from an expert in the fields of geology, physics, and environmental studies, see Dr. Anthony Ingraffea on The Legal Edition environmental programming series: ‘Dirty Little Secrets the Oil & Gas Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know.’
As one program in our Environmental series, Cornell University hydraulic fracturing expert, Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, discusses not only the inherently unsafe nature of the fracking process–but the added exposures of putting ‘unspecified’ industry-created toxins into the environment–including fracking waste & wastewater trucked from one state to the next in pursuit of a ‘suitable’ dumping ground.
The sad truth is, that many times waste that is created in one state–ends up in another state–one with less environmental restrictions on dumping, than the state in which the toxic material was created. This scenario occurs due to the dumping loopholes (often dubbed the ‘Halliburton loopholes’) which were created under the auspices of the George W. Bush administration–at a time when VP Dick Cheney had substantial ties to Halliburton Oil. During that time, a number of EPA rules were manipulated to exempt these man-made toxins from EPA regulation. Because of this federal ‘exemption’, many states are left on their own to regulate or outlaw the interstate trafficking of fracking waste, because no federal regulation exists to prevent them from doing so. Because of this ‘Halliburton exemption’, our waterways and our wildlife, and countless people are subjected to undisclosed toxic materials–which would have been defined under Superfund law hat this exemption not been made. In effect, this ‘exemption’ has ended up swallowing the rule against toxic dumping.
Moreover, unbeknownst to most Americans, when horizontal drilling is undertaken, no one can be sure if any old abandoned mines will be fractured, causing seepage and spills of toxic material into our rivers, streams and farmland. Most importantly, whoever suggests that hydraulic fracturing is safe, simply doesn’t know the facts and possible scenarios for failure that can bring on catastrophic events. Many say fracturing is old technology, but that is only partially true. This new fracturing technology uses unidentified toxic chemicals, and is done in ways never before used when standardized oil and gas drilling techniques were employed. Without question, these new age energy giants are putting everyone’s health at risk, with possible endless scenarios for toxic plumes and toxic fumes, spill and seepage that can destroy underground aquifers and pollute water and land for decades to come.
But, most importantly, the question becomes, Why are we even pursuing more fossil fuel, when we are experiencing an unprecedented rate of climate change? Dr. Ingraffea discusses that very issue and how counter-productive measures such as fracking are actually accelerating climate change, as well as the frequency and intensity of earthquakes–that it why it must be halted immediately. The solution, as stated by Dr. Ingraffea, is not in getting more fossil fuel delivery systems in place, the key is building a whole new renewable energy infrastructure making each state fully renewable energy driven. This in turn will create in state jobs that actually will ‘stay’ in state, and provide more cost-effective and regional energy generation and delivery systems that are more stable and less volatile to price fluctuations and availability issues.
For more information on these fascinating innovations in renewable energy solutions, including ways to get your state legislators on board and moving toward a new generation of clean and efficient renewable energy infrastructures, visit: www.TheSolutionsProject.org and www.PSEHealthyEnergy.org The time has more than come!