Give Me A Fracking Break!

So, fracking has been swirling around in the news for a while now. The fact is, it's going on here in DFW. *Sigh*

I don't know if you've read Rachel Carson's Silent Spring but there are some disturbing similarities between what she talked about and the process of fracking. In her impactful book, Carson discusses the notion that pollutants that are dumped into waterways have the potential to mix with another pollutant to create yet a third pollutant. Since the publication of her book many policies have come about to prevent such pollution in our waterways. However, it seems that fracking is bring this concept back to the surface.

If you investigate the process of fracking it involves drilling down through the layers of earth to a determined depth and then drilling parallel to ground level to the desired location. Then chemicals are blasted through this drilled path to increase it and release the desired gases, liquids and solids. The really scary thing about it is that this process drills though many layers of the earth freeing different elements to mix together -- add to that the chemicals used in fracking -- we are creating the potential for a big nasty chemical stew.

Consider the disturbing notion that companies want to set up fracking sites closer and closer to communities -- colored me scared. What if there were an accident or explosion on a site close to where people live or go to school? It just doesn't seem worth the risk. That added to the potential chemical stew makes me want to run away and hide.

We have experienced more and more earthquakes here in Texas since the start of fracking. I'm no geologist or scientist but there has to be a connection between messing with the earth and later it's spontaneous shifting.

Please go view this video about fracking it's very informative. It very clearly explains the process of fracking and how it affects the areas around it. Then if you agree, please scroll to the bottom of the page and send your legislaters a note to let them know what you think. (Don't worry, there's a templated letter too.)

This post is linked up over on the Green Sisterhood Reading list.