I recently watched a documentary, Gasland II, about the deleterious effects of fracking. This film was first aired in 2013. I have not seen part one and I was only made aware of the problem about four years ago. What I had not realized, is that this is a global problem. Anywhere there is shale lying beneath the earth’s surface, wells are inserted to extract the natural gas from them.
These wells can penetrate as far as a mile underground. They are surrounded by only an inch of concrete which is supposed to prevent the toxic chemicals that are being forced down into the well, from leaking out into the aquafers and surrounding soil. However; there have been many wells in which the concrete has cracked, nullifying its purpose. The billion dollar corporations responsible for these fracking methods, for some unknown reason, do not have to disclose the chemicals that they use to extract the fossil fuels.
There are many thousands of these wells all over the planet now. Forests and natural habitats have been destroyed in order to dig these wells. Private land owners have no recourse to stop the wells from being drilled on their land. In many areas, the ground water has been contaminated with these unidentified chemicals. Those people who use the contaminated water are getting sick. When a match is held to the end of a backyard hose, or to the kitchen faucet, it bursts into a flaming torch.
Nearly eight years ago, when Obama was president, he was clearly being blindsided by the people pushing to allow fracking. He proclaimed that there were enough fossil fuels to last one hundred years. Really? What are we supposed to do after that – when we have run out? One hundred years is not that long. Sure, there may be a large amount of oil beneath the earth’s surface, but it may be there for a reason other than for human beings to exploit. The earth provides the foundation on which our lives are built. If we undermine that foundation, what do you suppose will happen to us as a race?
Whenever citizens have tried to fight back, they were quickly silenced. As more people became aware of what was happening, the corporations bought advertising in an attempt to convince the public that fracking was perfectly safe. When the EPA began investigating the problem, they were told to stop the investigation, or risk losing their jobs. The homeowners who tried to fight it were not backed up by the politicians because the politicians were paid off to ignore the problem. This left the homeowners with no other choice, but to leave their homes. If they stay, they must pay to have safe water brought in, or risk more illness. The corporations responsible for this mess pay them to move, but some have been in their homes for three or four generations. They are paid off, but with the stipulation that they must remain quiet and never talk about what had taken place. When our very government is being controlled by trillion dollar industries, paid to keep silent and look the other way, what can a handful of people do to fight it? Will we be forced into silence, or risk being permanently silenced, by a mysterious death?
