Over the last several days I’ve watched the two parts of GasLand, a documentary by Josh Fox. It is the story of many lives affected by natural gas extraction. Up front I will say that the only complaint I have is that they didn’t leave us any way to help. No next steps to follow.
It’s about “fracking” or hydraulic fracturing. (I tried to find a neutral link, but you can Google fracking for more information.) This refers to the process (originated by Halliburton) that is used to extract gas from the Earth. As I understand it, they pump a lot of nasty chemicals into the ground to create a fracture that releases the gas. It’s cheap to produce, out of American soil and it can power quite a lot.
The problem is, the oil industry is deeply involved in it. As we all know, they have friends in high places. Including Dick Cheney who made sure to exempt the burgeoning gas industry from all kinds of nasty regulations like the Clean Water Act.
They have Zero Regulations, Zero Oversight, and Zero Accountability. In some cases, there aren’t even fences around the facilities or guards on site. .No wonder it’s so cheap to generate gas when you don’t have to spend all that money on safety regulations. You can plop down anywhere there is space. (I believe the movie said, there are gas rigs on land that was deeded to be for all us.) Many times they have drilled just beyond a property where people live. Pesky people. Places where run off from those extraction chemicals ends up in wells and water supplies. Oops!
The people who didn’t take money and sign away their right to talk, have done a lot of talking. The EPA has tested their water and found it to be hazardous. But along the way, the EPA changed its mind and said it was safe. I have seen the sand sludges running down residential streets. And the documentary showed us many instances of water from a kitchen tap lighting on fire.
Of course, there were very few people from the oil and gas industry who would talk to the documentarian. So, much of it is one-on-one interviews with the people who have been directly affected by it. The reaction, from those in the industry has been the stonewall of no response or “There’s nothing unsafe” or “There are risks associated with all forms of energy.” (I don’t think that’s true.) Frankly, they don’t care. They don’t have to. They have the support of very powerful people.
The extraction is marching on without red tape or regulations. Gas rigs are springing up everywhere, completely unchecked. And there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do to stop it.
I have to wonder what they’ll do when the entire world’s water supply is contaminated. It won’t take long and there will be no one to buy their gas or oil. I’d say we have a really good scenario for a sci-fi horror film here.
We have to pull together, as a planet, and decide what our energy future will be. It has to be based on what everyone needs, in all countries. And not cause harm to our planet in the process. Otherwise, it’s just not worth it. If we destroy the Earth, what good will energy do? What’s a few dollars more? If this fracking is allowed to continue in its current state and rate, we can kiss goodbye Mother Earth with a bounty of flowing, clean drinking water. And without water, folks, we are f*cked! It is up to all of us to make sure these decisions are not made for us.
Someone said, I believe, there are other, safer ways gas can be extracted. Maybe so. What the long term effects are on the Earth, I don’t know. We would have to ask Professor Brian Cox about that. But I do know the way they’re doing it currently is not worth the risk to our precious water. But my guess is, there is no less expensive, no more cost effective (at nearly 100% profit) way to make money, and still get government subsidies for producing power.
IMDB reference: GasLand
From The Word Tech Files - Rants and Raves 