We, the People Will Pay the Price

As of Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Politicians tell us that fracking will be good for the economy. Businessmen tell us that it will create jobs, but they don’t tell us how many, or what percentage of them will be local hires.

What they don’t offer is any scientific evidence. For instance, what are the odds of fracking contaminating our water? And if it does, is it reversible? And if it is, how long will it take to get pure water again?

Will contaminated water affect the grasses that feed our cattle? Will it contaminate the beef they produce or the milk they give? Will this also affect our poultry and eggs? Our fruits and vegetables?

Will fracking create fissures in some types of soil that will cause ground surfaces to settle? This could cause damage to water, sewer and fuel lines, and possibly damage roads and interrupt transportation.

I think people deserve answers to these questions. This is not something that is short term. It will affect many generations to come and as such, it should not be decided by politicians who will only be in office for a short time (and some of whom have trouble selecting the right button when voting).

This should be put on a “public referendum” and voted on by the people it will affect.

Remember, we, the people, will be the victims of any mishaps, and we are the ones who will be taxed to pay for restoration.

Paul Fruiesen

Foxfire Village

More like this story

JD 10 months, 1 week ago

truthmatterstome2 10 months ago

Duke University has recently completed their study into the safety issues of fracking. The result of that study was that fracking is safe. They also found NO incidents of fracking causing gas to escape into drinking water. If you want objective information it would do you good to review the study.

WFB 10 months ago

The recent study completed by Duke University did not conclude that "fracking is safe."

The conclusion was that there was no correlation between brine contamination in Pennsylvania and fracking activity. But the study also concluded the following as reported by Businessweek:

*“The industry has always claimed that this is a separation zone, and there is no way fluids could flow” from the shale to the aquifers, Avner Vengosh, a professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and one of the study’s eight authors, said in an interview. “We see evidence of hydrologic connectivity.”

[...]

...some of the homes tested are “at higher risk” of contamination due to underlying geology, Nathaniel Warner, the lead author on the Duke study, said in a statement.

The results show that “these areas could be at greater risk of contamination from shale-gas development because of a pre-existing network of cross-formational pathways that has enhanced hydraulic connectivity to deeper geological formations,” according to the study.*

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-09/pennsylvania-fracking-can-put-water-sources-at-risk-study-finds

I do not see how you can conclude from the results, as expressed by the authors of the study, that "fracking is safe." Perhaps you should read the study yourself.