Environmental Corner Tip Othe Week Fracking If we are to provide our children with a healthy planet, we must get politically involved. Many people in Denton have already done so. Denton sits on top of the Barnett Shale, believed to hold one of the largest natural gas reserves in the U.S., and, because of citizen activism, it could become the first area in Texas to permanently ban hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside. The fracking fluid mixes 1-8 million gallons of water with sand and up to 600 chemicals including known carcinogens (like lead and mercury). The fracking fluid is then pressure injected into the ground through a drilled pipeline. The mixture reaches the end of the well where the high pressure causes the nearby shale rock to crack, creating fissures where natural gas flows into the well. During this process, methane gas and toxic chemicals leach out from the system and contaminate nearby groundwater. There have been over 1,000 documented cases of water contamination next to areas of gas drilling. If you drink any water when visiting Denton, this could affect you and your family! But thats not all! Only 30-50% of the fracturing fluid is recovered, meaning that the rest of the toxic fluid is left in the ground and is not biodegradable. The waste fluid is left in open air pits to evaporate, releasing harmful volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, creating contaminated air, acid rain, and ground level ozone. The drilling has also been thought to create small earthquakes. If you think this is a bad idea (and trust me, it is!), then help support the FRAC Act (Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act) which would require the energy industry to disclose all chemicals used in fracturing fluid as well as repeal frackings exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Posted on: Mon, 19 May 2014 05:02:17 +0000
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