From Occupy The Press


Hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as "fracking," is the process of injecting pressurized water and chemicals into layers of rock to release petroleum, natural gas, and coal seam gas. The process has come under heavy criticism with complaints of drinking water contamination in Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Colorado, to name a few.

Proponents of fracking claim any contamination to drinking water is the result of natural causes. Methane pockets rise into water wells and contaminant them. Residents and the EPA disagree. By forcing water (and chemicals as well as ceramic), opponents say fracking releases formerly closed off pockets of methane and natural gas, releasing it into the water system.

Videos are readily available online of residents living near fracking wells who are able to light their water on fire as it pours from their kitchen sink. Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania, head of homeland security, and current CEO of Ridge Global, a fracking consulting firm (read: lobbyist), claims the flaming sinks are from naturally occurring methane deposits and denies they have anything to do with nearby fracking wells.

The federal government has already warned residents to neither cook, nor drink their water due to contamination

Ridge's current private sector foray not only exemplifies the lobbying issues of the revolving door between politics and business, but also serves as a conduit for money being funneled from influential power players to members of the House and Senate. One report from Common Cause, a nonpartisan nonprofit advocacy group, claims that gas industry leaders have slid political partners roughly $20 million and $726 million, respectively, on lobbying campaigns over the last decade.

Some say that is a major motivating force for why the EPA has not approached the issue with full force. During the development and growth of fracking in the United States over the past 50 years, the agency has sported a fairly hands-off approach. Amid rising concerns in the last several years, however, the EPA has had to take action. Recently, the EPA reported on a three-year study in Pavillion, Wyoming, citing fracking as the source of acrid smelling water. Governor Matt Mead (R) claims the study is "scientifically questionable," as quoted in the New York Times. As does Encana, the owner of the some 169 wells in Pavillion.


Marcellus Protest. Flicker.com

Even without the report, residents have had fears of contamination. According to NPR, the federal government has already warned residents to neither cook, nor drink their water due to contamination. The government has also asked residents to install fans in their bathrooms as ventilation can decrease the opportunity for combustible water. Commenting on the feasibility of exploding showers on The Colbert Report, Tom Ridge added, "and, don't smoke near the shower".

Quoted in the NYT, Doug Hock, Encana spokesperson claimed, "What we have here is not a conclusion, but a probability - and based on the facts, not a good probability." Encana stock dropped 5.6% the day of the report's release and the company has launched a media spin campaign against the validity of the report.

Despite the extensive report, Encana insures there is nothing wrong with the drilling practices. "We believe that strong environmental performances is a key indicator of our success. We set clear goals to find better ways to operate and constantly challenge ourselves to do better," according to the Encana's "Corporate Responsibility" page on their website.

But instead of welcoming the report as a challenge and promising to do better, Encana has preferred to water down (no pun intended) the results. And they should be watering it down. The EPA rumblings caused Texas-based firm Legacy Reserves to back out of a $45 million sale of Pavillion fields last month, according to CBC news, a Canadian owned news agency.

While contamination of water is a clear concern for fracking, there is more. The water needed for fracking is massive. According to a Denver Post report, each drilling process requires between one and five million gallons of water. Even more when they are "refracked."

The drills "may need more water than we have," said John McGee, the water manager for Loveland, Colorado, according to the Post report. Legally, Colorado is required to allow a certain percentage of water to flow from the mountains to other states so they may also gain access to a continuing flow of water. For a water-deprived state like Colorado, this is of growing concern as water pulled from wells for drilling is used quickly and is then mixed with chemicals, sand and ceramic to sully the communities' drinking water.

As deposits are fracked and depleted, sites are moving closer to neighborhoods. This cycle is vicious. It is dangerous. It will not stop on its own because there are millions of dollars invested in it. Citizen activism is the only solution to this problem.

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