The Marcellus Shale and Fracking
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main concerns ?
Fracking is ruining individual lives and health,
taking people's property rights and constitutional rights and is
threatening the safety of our land, air and the water we
drink.
Is this
a local issue ? I don't have shale gas under my house?
You watershed is at stake and your
involvement is necessary to alter the course things are taking
at present.
Why is drinking water an issue ?
On this
interactive map
you can click
and see how many wells are 1,000 to 3,000 times over the federal
limits for radioactive and carcinogenic contaminaents & toxins
in their drinking water - see even more info like this in
The Latest
News and Links . What good is all that
energy if you have fouled the source of your own water. How
will you replace that? The Delaware Valley Watershed is
at stake in this battle.
There have already
been spills of fracking fluids taken to our area for processing
in the Neshaminy - and if fracking is allowed by the DVRBC
then our drinking water will be on the front lines.
Isn't gas clean
energy? NO- Not by any means. It BURNS cleaner - but the "lifecycle"
( all that is affected to get it ) is far more dirty than
even some forms of coal and some energy companies are
proposing a "tax" or "fee" to allow them to leave YOU with the
cleanup or the impact reversals. We already know that fees
are way too low for proper regulation and that spills and
accidents abound. They have good reason to want to leave
you with the clean-up and "impact" repairs
What is Fracking? -
"Hydraulic fracturing ", hydrofracking" or "fracking" involves
not just drilling straight down - but then going sideways and pumping
water into the ground to open up the formations . The gas then
is supposed to bubble back up the same route. Unfortunately, the chemicals that they use to pump the
water onto the shale are extremely dangerous and are finding their way into
wells and watersheds. And the shale isn't too solidly stable so, the gas itself is going up other
fissures & alleys that were an unintended consequence, causing
well-water contamination and other problems, such as
triggering possible earthquakes. Aren't
people paid for their lands? People leasing their lands often don't understand the severe
consequences they may face to their livelihoods, their health
or to the loss of the esthetics &
quality of life features they enjoyed. Some people are so
in need of a job that they feel that ANY job would be a good
one, even if their families are directly impacted. They have not
accounted for the jobs that will be lost, the quality of life
that will be lost . Short term "boom to bust cycles are
among factors not considered . And the onerous industries that
come hand in hand like factory farming or chemical plants ( and
medical services for those made ill ) will change the nature of
the land and rights and the type of jobs that many treasure.
Doesn't our
country need this energy ? Foreign investment and
purchase of many of these mineral rights is a factor. Global ownership of energy companies is a factor.
The amount of our treasured resources that our government government allows to be sold on the open market is a
factor. And there are few citizens who can "override" the
legislative requests of the energy companies. The excess
of gas is already (as of 9-12 ) bringing down the cost of gas
and you can see the powerful energy companies working to broaden
their market to keep our prices up. Low energy would help
American thrive. But big energy companies won't make as much of
a profit. Whom do you think has more influence on your
legislators... you or the powerful
energy companies who seek to increase the
competition and your rates? (click here for 9-12 Inquirer
article on exactly this) ...
The gas money
as you can well imagine is .... well.....plentiful. And not unlike the
situation with BP in the Gulf, for instance, once they foul an area, there is no
historical precedence that would allow us to expect that they would or could do a cleanup of any significance.
We need
to have our voices heard above corporate interests.
We need to understand that what affects those just a few hours
from us, can deeply affect our lives as well if our water supply
is polluted. Wastewater management systems are not
designed to handle radium. Sludge that is normally sprayed
on roads to dispose of it may now have radium and other
dangerous chemicals . If it is is still allowed to be
spayed on roads and put into other places previously deemed
normal, will it end up in our drinking water ...? It's
hard to imagine that it won't. There is far too little
oversight and there have been far too many spills, accidents and
problems .
Please feel free to
contact us
with your own information on these topics and please be sure
to
contact us about any information you believe to be
incorrect -
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