These days, there is a great deal of controversy about fracking and natural gas production. Many of us are fighting to ban fracking from our communities. Many more of us are living in places where drilling for gas has been going on for decades, with or without horizontal fracturing. Banning isn’t a remote possibility–and neither is living without the power we depend on, every single day. So what is a mother to do?
Talking to my friends, and reading about fracking in the “blogosphere,” I’ve been struck by how much confusion–and misunderstanding–there is about natural gas production. So Moms Clean Air Force created a comprehensive Natural Gas Question & Answer resource.
We explain exactly why parents should be concerned about health and safety issues in natural gas development—in the clear, accessible language that you’ve come to expect from us.
The controversy over natural gas development has been focused on water contamination. But gas production has also created severe air pollution in many communities across the country–from remote areas in Utah and Wyoming, which once had pristine air, to heavily populated urban areas in Colorado and in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas—where elevated levels of ozone and benzene, a known carcinogen, have been measured near gas production sites. So we’ve also created a short guide to air pollution and natural gas.
Across the country, communities are fighting for what should be basic rights: full disclosure—and monitoring—of the chemicals being mixed in water during drilling; full disclosure–and monitoring–of the chemicals being spewed into the air, chemicals that contribute to everything from aggravated asthma to cancers; full disclosure—and monitoring–of how much of the gas itself, methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is spilling into our atmosphere and contributing to climate change.
Fossil fuel industries claim that regulations are “overreaching” and too expensive. We believe that with year upon year of record profits, these companies can invest in the cleanest, safest ways to harvest fossil fuels—and stop fighting for the right to pollute our air.
For those parents fighting for bans or moratoria on fracking: be armed with the facts. And for those of us fighting to force the gas industry to develop safer, cleaner ways to harvest natural gas energy—at every stage of its production: natural gas, harvested properly, can help keep the lights on, while we push for the fastest possible deployment of renewable energy from the sun and the wind. And we are fighting for the right of communities across the country to ban fracking, for the sake of their children’s health.
No one does research better than a mom, especially when it comes to the health of her children. We believe that being armed with the facts is the best way to fight air pollution–especially when it begins in our own back yards.
Please take a look at our documents and we welcome your comments below on how to make it even more useful to you.