Newsweek:
Oil and gas exploration: Is “fracking” safe? Finally, the national media is starting to sit up and pay attention to this issue. The contamination of our underground resources cannot continue unchecked. I’m going to contrast two quotations from the article for you:
One, “Despite its widespread use and somewhat mysterious mix, fracturing fluid was deemed in 2004 by the Environmental Protection Agency as safe for the environment and groundwater.”
Two: “In a copy of its Material Safety Data Sheet—which details ingredients, health warnings, fire hazards and more—ZetaFlow contains methanol and two undisclosed ‘proprietary’ compounds. The document also warned that ZetaFlow can be an ‘immediate’ and ‘chronic’ health hazard.”
The EPA, ever vigilant. As useful as when they declared the air quality ‘safe’ after 9/11.
I’ll repeat myself for those who don’t know the story. The oil and gas industry wants to frack here in the Galisteo Basin. Through our precious aquifer - an aquifer that serves thousands. Thousands who cannot be served by any method from Santa Fe City or other municipal water system if things go awry now or in the future. This is high desert. We desperately need more water resources, with more people moving to the area and the potential future consequences of global warming. Some of us are paying some of the highest rates for water in the state already. We need water more than we need the relatively puny amount of locally recoverable oil, an amount that would only drop global oil prices by a fraction of a dollar.
What worries me most is the fact that drilling is beginning to be equated with a jingoistic patriotism in some circles. The Republican Party is trying to build a popular sense of ... should I call it ‘inevitability’? ... to promote and boost drilling initiatives as an ‘easy fix’ for high gas prices. The premise is clearly false, yet the Democrats are not standing against the disinformation. We must redouble our efforts to remind our politicians of the grim realities - realities that oil profits to multinationals and revenue dollars to our local governments will not be sufficient to alleviate.
Here in the Galisteo Basin, we have one source of water. There should be an outright ban on any extraction processes that could potentially threaten a sole supply now or in the future. PERIOD. As I’ve said before, the State should be mediating a trade of mineral rights for a cut of surface solar and wind generation, in agreement and cooperation with the property owner in appropriate geographic areas. I don’t mean to see anyone done out of their investments.
Oil and gas are yesterday’s technologies, and some want to wallow in the past. It’s a new century. We need to be working for our future.
Boy, this subject gets me all worked up. Thanks for the heads-up, Linda.
Later, related: Orion, The Moral Climate.
Comments:
There are no comments at this time for this entry.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
