I’ve been passionate about ending hydraulic fracking since even before I saw the eye-opening Gasland films. That’s part of why it was such an honor to begin working with Delaware Riverkeeper Maya van Rossum, the lead advocator and litigator against Marcellus Shale drilling and other environmental hazards to the four-state area watershed.
This blog post is my contribution to the second annual Global Frackdown, uniting concerned citizens everywhere for a day of action on October 19, 2013 to send a message to elected officials in our communities and across the globe that we want a future powered by clean, renewable energy – not dirty, polluting fossil fuels.
The journey to a renewable energy future will not be fueled by shale gas. Climate scientists warn that continued extraction and burning of fossil fuels will lead to catastrophic climate change. And we can already see the drastic effects to the drinking water and health of thousands of families residing in these fracking areas.
The first Global Frackdown in September 2012 brought together 200 community actions from over 20 countries to challenge hydraulic fracturing, or fracking—a risky technique that uses millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals to break open shale rock deep underground to release previously unrecoverable deposits of oil and gas. The oil and gas industry has spent millions of dollars on slick PR campaigns and high-profile lobbying efforts to buy the ability to extract fossil fuels from our communities with as little government oversight as possible, all while destroying our water resources and our climate.
While the industry is working hard to protect its profits and drown out the worldwide demand for clean, renewable fuels, there is a tremendous movement afoot around the world to protect our global resources from fracking.
Together as a movement, since the first-ever Global Frackdown, we have:
- Passed more than 336 measures against fracking, wastewater injection and frac sand mining in communities across the United States
- Passed a moratorium on fracking in the Delaware River Basin Commission
- Banned fracking in Longmont, Colorado
- Passed an indefinite moratorium on fracking in Vermont
- Upheld bans on fracking in Bulgaria and France, despite intensive pressure from industry
- Pushed for moratoria in multiple regions in Europe
- Obtained local referenda on fracking in Romania, which rejected fracking by more than 90 percent
- Pushed for a ban on fracking in areas for drinking water provision in Germany
- Passed moratoria on fracking in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic
- Organized to oppose fracking in communities in Argentina, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt
- Spurred the introduction of new laws for assessing unconventional gas impacts in Australia
- Delayed fracking in South Africa and the Republic of Ireland
- Forced the European Union to start analyzing the risks of fracking in Europe
- Persuaded 262 Members of the European Parliament – more than a third – to vote in favor of an immediate moratorium on shale gas
As the oil and gas industry escalates its public relations offensive (I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials), it is critical that our elected officials hear the truth from their constituents. Fracking is an inherently dangerous technology and shale gas is not a bridge fuel to a low-carbon economy. It’s time to expose the oil and gas industry’s desire to profit at the expense of our communities and our environment. It’s time to hold our elected officials accountable. It’s time for another Global Frackdown.
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