Here's the quick gist if you aren't familiar with what fracking is and what it does:
Fracking is a oil/gas drilling method that drills vertically into the ground and then the drill pieces shift to a horizontal drilling pattern, which enables the drillers to cover more area than the simple verticle plane. With this horizontal drilling, the drillers must then pump a medium into the caverns to force the oil/gas out. The current technique includes pumping water laced with lubricants (i.e. toxic chemicals) into the caverns and then the fracking fluid (water + lubricants) are removed and stored off-site.
I could write lots about how fracking works, as well as the detriments and the small amount of benefits of fracking, but instead, here are a few great resources to read about the topic because I can't begin to compare with their explanations and visuals. As well, simply getting on Google News and searching "fracking" will yield tons of great, legit resources as well.
Gasland Movie & Website dedicated to fracking education & activism.
Great visual explanation of fracking. Use Mozilla to look at this; it seems that Internet Explorer doesn't like it.
It makes sense to become educated on the topic, even if you think it may not effect your area, because fracking can influence so many because of the air & water pollution that doesn't stay stationary. As well, the issues of the storage wells & where the fracking water comes from may also effect you and your town even though fracking may not be optimal in your area. So as you gather info, you may find yourself compelled to contact your congresspeople and/or actively campaign to educate those around you of the potential issues associated with fracking. In doing this, be prepared to write and write persuasively. This means KEEPING A LEVEL HEAD. Even though fracking may make you want to shake people to make them see how harmful it is and how greedy the corporations & some politicians may be, obviously this won't make your argument.
Instead, stick to the facts and only the fact that are well-documented and are coming from respectable resources. As well, quit re-iterating the same arguments everyone else has presented. Rather, present the topic with a very specific and visual representation. Pictures are tools of change. (With this, does anyone have ORIGINAL pictures of fracking & fracking effects they'd be willing to let me borrow for the blog? I'd be glad to give credit where it's due!) Tell anecdotes, use direct quotes and overall, be respectful. Nothing loses a battle faster than someone losing his or her cool. As well, make the writing or letter as straight to the point as possible. Offer solutions, even if the solutions aren't perfect, rather than just complaining. No one likes a whiner. Logic always wins, so be logical and find an engineer to review your letter and see if you can persuade her with what you've written. It's better to err on the side of too short rather than too long. With this said, here's a quick example of something I wrote & sent to my local paper recently (feel free to use the resources & reuse the letter as needed as long as it stays true to my sentiments--please just give me credit!).
Fellow Lancaster residents and city officials:
Two of my former homes, Mansfield, OH and Athens, OH are in gridlock over fracking. It made me wonder what Lancaster is doing to proactively protect itself. Mansfield coordinated an informational session that brought some major issues to my attention:
1. Ohio lacks laws to protect citizens from being taken advantage of when signing oil leases. Even if someone DOES have a good lawyer, there’s only so much this lawyer can do and it’s surprising how little it really is. There are some legislators beginning bills to protect towns’ rights and citizens’ rights, but these bills aren’t ready yet. (http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article-36114-commissioners-call-for-tighter-state-regulations-on-fracking.html)
2. Fracking requires MILLIONS of gallons of water per frack. (http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Fracking-and-Water-A-New-Way-To-Profit-from-the-Industrys-Biggest-Problem.html) This means millions of gallons of water will be taken from the water table and our local lakes and streams for private profit. To save water, we encourage children to turn off the water while brushing their teeth, but then it’s ok for private companies to use millions of gallons of water for their own profit….? Why have WE been encouraged to take from the public and give to the private? Who benefits?
3. It’s no wonder that the state has reported few issues with fracking, because they directly benefit. Ohio “technically” has stronger EPA regulations than nearby states and supervises its own EPA rather than the federal government overseeing it. The same state government that openly supports fracking because of the financial benefit to the state by leasing our public lands (http://ohiodnr.com/tabid/23415/default.aspx) also oversees itself. Meanwhile, the Ohio EPA has had huge budget cuts. (http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/03/26/epa-to-make-do-with-less-money.html) By essentially castrating the EPA, the state has ensured itself that there won’t be any problems found with fracking because there’s no money to investigate.
It’s time to look at what’s best for our community knowing the state hasn’t protected our interests. It’s time to have a plan rather than be surprised like other cities in Ohio. Are we looking out for one another, or will individuals profit at the behest of the community? When will WE have sessions to publicly investigate fracking?
Sincerely,
Michelle S. Goodman
Two of my former homes, Mansfield, OH and Athens, OH are in gridlock over fracking. It made me wonder what Lancaster is doing to proactively protect itself. Mansfield coordinated an informational session that brought some major issues to my attention:
1. Ohio lacks laws to protect citizens from being taken advantage of when signing oil leases. Even if someone DOES have a good lawyer, there’s only so much this lawyer can do and it’s surprising how little it really is. There are some legislators beginning bills to protect towns’ rights and citizens’ rights, but these bills aren’t ready yet. (http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article-36114-commissioners-call-for-tighter-state-regulations-on-fracking.html)
2. Fracking requires MILLIONS of gallons of water per frack. (http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Fracking-and-Water-A-New-Way-To-Profit-from-the-Industrys-Biggest-Problem.html) This means millions of gallons of water will be taken from the water table and our local lakes and streams for private profit. To save water, we encourage children to turn off the water while brushing their teeth, but then it’s ok for private companies to use millions of gallons of water for their own profit….? Why have WE been encouraged to take from the public and give to the private? Who benefits?
3. It’s no wonder that the state has reported few issues with fracking, because they directly benefit. Ohio “technically” has stronger EPA regulations than nearby states and supervises its own EPA rather than the federal government overseeing it. The same state government that openly supports fracking because of the financial benefit to the state by leasing our public lands (http://ohiodnr.com/tabid/23415/default.aspx) also oversees itself. Meanwhile, the Ohio EPA has had huge budget cuts. (http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/03/26/epa-to-make-do-with-less-money.html) By essentially castrating the EPA, the state has ensured itself that there won’t be any problems found with fracking because there’s no money to investigate.
It’s time to look at what’s best for our community knowing the state hasn’t protected our interests. It’s time to have a plan rather than be surprised like other cities in Ohio. Are we looking out for one another, or will individuals profit at the behest of the community? When will WE have sessions to publicly investigate fracking?
Sincerely,
Michelle S. Goodman
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