A New York Times report confirmed drilling for oil sets off earthquakes and detailed how a drilling project near San Francisco and a similar project in Basel, Switzerland were shut down over concerns they triggered damaging earthquakes. Both diggings involved fracturing hard rock more than two miles deep.
Fracking for oil and gas poses a direct and immediate threat to our drinking water, our health and our communities. But the oil and gas industry is ramping up its PR machine to try and convince the public and decision makers that fracking is safe. It’s time to fight back in our communities with a Global Frackdown!
There is a tremendous amount of organizing going on across the world to protect our water and our communities from fracking.
Together as a movement, in the past year we have:
Passed over 200 local measures across the United States to ban fracking (including state-level legislation in Vermont);
Stopped fracking in Bulgaria and France;
Pushed for moratoriums in multiple regions in Europe;
Obtained a moratorium on fracking in South Africa;
Defeated state legislation that would have expanded fracking;
Prevented plans to open the Delaware River Basin to fracking;
Worked to stop pipelines and facilities to export fracked gas from coast to coast.
The Global Frackdown will unite concerned citizens everywhere for a day of action on September 22, 2012 to send a message to elected officials in our communities and across the globe that we want a future fueled by clean, renewable energy, not dirty, polluting fossil fuels.
This Fall as the United States debates its energy future and the oil and gas industry escalates its public relations offensive, it’s critical that our elected officials – some of whom are running scared – hear the truth in a powerful way from their constituents. It’s time to expose the oil and gas industry’s propaganda for what it is. It’s time to hold our elected officials accountable. It’s time for a Global Frackdown!
Participants in the Global Frackdown will be organizing events in their communities to challenge decision makers to oppose fracking, united around a common mission statement calling for a ban on fracking and investment in a clean energy future.
Are you ready for the Frackdown? Sign up to endorse the day of action or join or host and event in your area.
About Fracking
Fracking, technically known as hydraulic fracturing, is a highly water-intensive and relatively new process that injects millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals thousands of feet beneath the ground to obtain previously hard-to-reach oil and gas deposits. This polluting process is:
Endangering our drinking water supplies
Polluting our air
Releasing dangerous levels of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that can migrate into nearby wells, causing home explosions
Negatively impacting agricultural communities
Perpetuating our addiction to fossil fuels
Learn more about the risks fracking imposes on our water, air and communities.
via Occupy the Pipeline. Construction on the Spectra Pipeline is supposed to begin this week; a small group of activists has been on site this morning to keep an eye on the situation. For more information and photos of yesterday's action, check out Occupy the Pipeline!
Yesterday about 150 people showed up to give Spectra Energy a vibrant Un-Welcoming Party to NYC. The Spectra Men were walking the site, pointing and surveying, planning the pipeline construction that could result in 30,000 more cases of lung cancer & thousands of lost lives, homes, and businesses if their pipeline explodes. We think it's not an "if" but a "when;" the inevitability of a terrible accident looms over their public relations campaign claiming an increase of jobs into the area. We don't think that is worth the risk to life their project presents to NYC, not to mention the increased demand for Fracking in Pennsylvania, NJ and NYS switching NYC over to Fracked Gas would create. We are 100% opposed to Hydro-Fracking practices.
We had a visit from the NYPD who told us to take our banner down from between two trees. Official statement from the NYPD from yesterday: "Finally You Guys have a Good Cause." You know something is up when even the thugs at the NYPD realize the very real and present dangers from this pipeline. It endangers them as well, along with the good men and woman at the FDNY. They would be forced to risk their lives to put out the fires from the blast. Exploded pipelines have been known to burn for a week at a time. We don't want to make them suffer to save NYC. This is a preemptive intervention.
Our aim is to save lives. We are willing to put our lives in the way to do so. When the government fails to protect us, we need to take our lives into our own hands. Non-Violent Resistance is one tool we have to use.
