Sunday, June 17, 2012

To frack or not to frac, that is the question

Earth flag in crisis!  The winds here have been blowing like the plains of Wyoming or Nebraska.  My recent view of our earth flag caused me to pause and reflect on its symbolic image of care for the planet that sustains us.  We have recently  become involved with others who are concerned about the consequences of under-regulated industry, in this case oil and gas development.  These neighbors were concerned about a gas well which was secretly being "fracked" near their homes.  Some things I had heard about natural gas production were good: mostly, cleaner than coal.  Much of what I heard about hydraulic fracturing of oil wells was bad: pollutes the ground water, pollutes the air, causes earthquakes, uses tons of clean water that cannot be recycled--a massive issue in a bio-region so short on water that farmers can't irrigate crops. 
Here is a link that explains hydraulic fracturing technology and responds to some of the questions and criticism of fracturing 2012.  This 2011 video of Cornell professor Tony Ingraffea is an hour and 45 minutes in length, but contains a lot of information about myths and truths of the "fracking" debate.

The oil and gas industry tells us that methane which causes people to be able to light their tap water on fire is a naturally occurring phenomenon, even when the people whose water quality has been compromised continually testify their water was clean until the point of horizontal drilling using hydraulic fracturing technology.
Colorado has over 50,000 oil and gas wells.   Here is a map showing all permitted wells, producing and not producing.  Wells which are not presently producing may be up for frac-jobs.  Appealing to emotionalism, here is food for thought from the middle of northeast colorado shale country:

Let's hear it for the renewable power of the sun.  Let's hear it for clean water for livestock and people.  Suffice it to say, living on earth is risky.  Farming is radical.  Learn what you can about what others are doing to the land we share, and why. 
Ask yourself who is accountable. 
We are.