US oil boom: blessing or curse? Residents concerned about fracking, air, water

[L. Coyote]

Al Jazeera VIDEO: http://english.aljazeera.net/video/americas/2011/03/201132861517861362.html

North Dakota residents concerned about effects of drilling at Native American reservation.
http://english.aljazeera.net/video/americas/2011/03/201132861517861362.html

North Dakota is on track to become the second biggest oil producing state in the US.

But with many of the oil fields located on a Native American reservation, tribal members are wondering how the sudden boom will affect their way of life. ....

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Week of 3.26.10
"Gasland"
Will the boom in natural gas drilling contaminate America's water supply?
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/613/index.html

In the debate over energy resources, natural gas is often considered a "lesser-of-evils". While it does release some greenhouse gases, natural gas burns cleaner than coal and oil, and is in plentiful supply—parts of the U.S. sit above some of the largest natural gas reserves on Earth. But a new boom in natural gas drilling, a process called "fracking", raises concerns about health and environmental risks.

This week, NOW talks with filmmaker Josh Fox about "Gasland", his Sundance award-winning documentary on the surprising consequences of natural gas drilling. Fox's film—inspired when the gas company came to his hometown—alleges chronic illness, animal-killing toxic waste, disastrous explosions, and regulatory missteps.

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[texastoast]

1. Curse

http://www.earth-issues.com/2011/03/drilling-down-on-natural-gas-fracking-concern/


a well can produce over a million gallons of wastewater that is often laced with highly corrosive salts, carcinogens like benzene and radioactive elements like radium, all of which can occur naturally thousands of feet underground

rivers and streams contaminated with naturally occurring radioactive materials

lack of public disclosure of checmicals used

some methods can leave behind salts or sludge highly concentrated with radioactive material

some well operators are also selling their waste, rather than paying to dispose of it. Because it is so salty, they have found ready buyers in communities that spread it on roads for de-icing in the winter and for dust suppression in the summer. When ice melts or rain falls, the waste can run off roads and end up in the drinking supply.

More at link above



Repukes (and Dems) who want to deregulate the oil and gas business.

[BeHereNow]

2. I vote with TexasToast: CURSE

The rapacious appetites of the oil fat-cats will devastate
the rez. The poor people who live there will see no real profits,
only the devastation of their land, water and wildlife.

Like the guy in the video said of his relative asking
a grandfather, upon seeing oil seeping up from the earth,
"What is that?"

The grandfather replied, "That will bring nothing but trouble."

Pure prophecy.

BHN

[Marblehead]

3. Curse

They call it clean energy but it isn't, same with nuclear.