Buzzworms in the Backyard
Strikes Again!
January 9-30, 2009
The deadline for entries in the Buzzworms in the Backyard exhibition is is Saturday, January 3, 2-5PM.
See the details
Registration Form
Toxic Chemicals On Tap: How NG Threatens Drinking Water
Environment Texas Research & Policy Center has issued one of the best studies to date on how NG production compromises drinking water. It is also "layman friendly" reading.
The study adds to the growing body of scientific literature that further verifies what FWCanDo has been telling you for the past five years. Namely, that natural gas production is dangerous to your health and is not the "clean bridge fuel" that industry preaches.
The cart got ahead of the horse long ago, especially in the Barnett Shale, but this summary from ET outlines clear steps that should be taken pronto to tame this beastly industry.
Avoid Toxic Contamination
• Replace dangerous chemicals in fracturing fluids with safer alternatives; and
• Send wastewater to facilities capable of dealing with the issues presented by fracturing fluids.
Plan for Safety
• Prevent gas drillers from using water for fracturing where it depletes local watersheds;
• Drill only in areas safely distant from drinking water;
• Require a fee for drilling sufficient to pay for cleanup of abandoned sites and to pay for monitoring, permitting, and enforcement of active sites; and
• Create a bonding requirement to make sure that companies have the ability to cover the above costs before drilling begins.
Hold Drillers Accountable
• Make the composition of fracturing fluids public;
• Make sure citizens know the quantity and location of fluids injected nearby;
• Make polluters pay for any contamination they cause; and
• Clean up sites when done and replace lost water supplies.
Employ Best Practices
• Construct drilling sites in a way that prevents the spread of contaminants, such as using steel tanks rather than open pits for wastewater; and
• Be prepared for problems by using rubber pools to catch spills and frequently monitoring for the possibility of escaped fluids or gases.
See this link to read the full report and Press Release:
Image: Frack Attack, by Debora Young. Copyright 2009. Used with permission
