"We know that high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracking, or HVHF, is an accident-prone, inherently dangerous industrial process with risks that include catastrophic and irremediable damage to our health and environment. We know that HVHF and its attendant technologies: contribute to groundwater contamination, including 219 cases in Pennsylvania alone; turn massive amounts of fresh, drinkable water into massive amounts of briny, poisonous flowback fluid for which there is no failsafe disposal solution; vent hazardous air pollutants that are associated with cancer, asthma, heart attack, stroke, and preterm birth; release radioactive substances—including radon, which is the number two cause of lung cancer—and benzene, which is a proven cause of leukemia—from deep geological strata; fragment forests in ways that decimate birds and wildlife, sabotage natural flood control systems, and pour sediment into rivers and streams; industrialize communities in ways that vastly increase truck traffic, noise pollution, light pollution, stress, crime, and the need for emergency services; offer jobs that are dangerous, toxic, and temporary, with a fatality rate seven times that of other industries; leak prodigious amounts of methane, a potent heat-trapping gas."
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 23:48:48 +0000
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