Posts tagged: fracking

New Mexico County Becomes First in the Nation to Ban Fracking

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A telltale sign in Mora County, N.M.The 5000 residents of small, low-income, conservative Mora County in New Mexico decided to put health and safety over profit and have banned hydraulic fracturing (fracking) throughout their county.

Residents of Mora County get their water through wells and in not wanting to compromise the water quality, they became the first county in the nation to pass an ordinance banning fracking. Landowners were set to receive lucrative payments from companies wanting to drill on their properties, but decided that safe drinking water was more important than money.

County Commission Chairman John Olivas said the ordinance is not a referendum on oil and gas. Rather, he said, it “is all about water.”

Mora County is joining a growing coalition of communities who want to keep fracking at bay. Continue reading →

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Eco-Vocab: Fracking

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Fracking: Hydraulic fracturing is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside. The problem with fracking is that it has the potential to contaminate ground water, as well as add tons of pollutants to the air.

Also, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that earthquakes induced by human activity have been documented in the United States, Japan, and Canada.

Read more about fracking here. And here.

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Vermont Becomes the First US State to Ban Fracking

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Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed a bill into law this week that officially bans fracking in the Green Mountain state. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside. The problem with fracking is that it has the potential to contaminate ground water, as well as add tons of pollutants to the air.

According to the Huffington Post, Vermont’s ban may be more of a symbolic gesture though since there is believed to be little to no natural gas or oil beneath the surface in Vermont. Still, being the first state to officially ban the practice makes a strong statement.

In other states where fracking occurs, critics have stated that the practice contaminates drinking water wells of residents living near the drilling operations, but natural gas industry officials dispute those claims.

Shumlin said the increased amounts of natural gas obtainable through hydraulic fracturing were not worth the risk to drinking water supplies. In the coming generation or two, “drinking water will be more valuable than oil or natural gas,” Shumlin said. Continue reading →

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Matt Damon & Gus Van Sant Start Production on Fracking Film

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Matt Damon and John Krasinski (The Office) will star in Promised Land, a feature about fracking they co-wrote based on a draft by Dave Eggers (Away We Go). Gus Van Sant is set to direct.

Hydraulic fracturing aka, fracking, the controversial drilling process in which millions of gallons of chemicals, water, and sand are blasted into rock to release natural gas, is still not on the forefront of most American’s minds. This film will no doubt change that.

The main issue with fracking is that it has the potential to contaminate ground water, as well as add tons of pollutants to the air. Also, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that earthquakes induced by human activity (ahem, fracking) have been documented in the United States, Japan, and Canada.

According to Politico, the movie which begins shooting in Pittsburgh later this month will take on an anti-fracking stance. Continue reading →

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