Unbe-Fracking-lievable! Gasland 1 Wasn't Enough?

I recently saw Gasland 2, and of all the shocking things about this documentary perhaps the most astonishing was the fact that it was even necessary to make a sequel to the original Gasland. I was both terrified and outraged after viewing the original, and I didn't even live in one of the many parts of the country likely to be directly impacted by the process in terms of having drilling wells in my backyard. But hearing the stories, seeing the looks of fear and frustration on the faces of those whose tap water was ignitable, or those whose family members evinced symptoms of illnes such as regular nosebleeds after wells were put in nearby was very troubling. Even more disturbing in the original were the blatant effort to discredit critics of fracking, even those suffering from obvious effects of the process, and the revelation that the identification of chemicals used in the extraction process, though shown to be contaminating our surface and drinking water supplies, were not required to be disclosed. My ears perked up when I heard that benzene, a known carcinogen, was among the chemicals frequently discovered around extraction sites. It seems to me that if you need to create an exception in the Clean Water Act disclosure regulations and you need to fight to preserve that exception, you're probably covering up something that's pretty bad. Gasland demonstrated the complete disregard for environment and human health held by these energy corporations in pursuit of profits. After seeing it I believed that surely enough hackles would be raised across the nation to effect prompt and stringent regulation for fracking. Apparently, I was wrong.

Gasland 2 clearly demonstrates that fracking has not slowed, but instead is increasing rapidly. How this is possible, despite the clear evidence of the effects of toxic chemicals from ubiquitous drilling leaks and spills is the truly frightening and insidious part of the story. The sequel shows, through the plight of residents of small towns in Pennsylvania and Texas unfortunate enough to be in the path of natural gas drilling operations, the power, influence, and ruthless tactics that gas drilling corporations will utilize to keep their profits flowing. At one point we are given hope, in Pennsylvania that decisions against the industry will require the responsible corporation to provide clean drinking water to citizens of the polluted town, and that residents of the Texas town where drilling has affected air and water will be protected through enforcement of regulations by the EPA. By the end of the story, not only does the promised mitigation evaporate, but we find that the citizens of these towns are villified and silenced and forced to move from homes they have raised families in, sometimes owned for generations, or continue to endure the risks to their health. To those not bought out by the corporations there is little choice, as their properties have become unsellable due to the drilling. Just how this was accomplished is the truly perfidious thing. Money flowed quickly from gas drilling corporations in order to elect politicians friendly to the industry. This was perhaps to be expected, but what followed was alarming. Gasland 2 describes how the EPA was essentilly silenced and castrated in its efforts to regulate the gas drilling industry, and cases forcing some mitigation for water pollution by the industry were turned around. Most alarming, perhaps, is the evidence the documentary presents showing that the industry is now employing military style PsyOps tactics and personnel, and utilizing the PR playbook from the tobacco industry when it was fighting for its predominance, to vilify anyone who speaks against fracking as an environmental extremist. The documentary actually presents audio of industry representatives at a conference describing the anti fracking public as an insurgency, and urging other leaders in the industry to study the military's counter insurgency manual.

The industry strongly sells the idea that natural gas is our nation's panacea for energy independence, even as they export and prepare to export larger amounts strictly for corporate profit. Despite industry knowledge that a large majority of wells drilled will develop leaks that will contaminate air and water with chemicals they know are so scary they must be concealed from public knowledge, the industry fights regulation. Despite habitat fracturing destruction of forest and grasslands caused by the immense number of wells and roads that supply them, despite earthquakes caused by placement and displacement of underground liquids in the fracking process (named frackquakes by some) the industry sells itself as an overall benefit to our nation's environment. Beware other nations, as a map of worldwide shale formations and as results of drilling in Australia presented in Gasland 2 show, this environmental benefit is going global.

What can we do against this goliath of an industry that has only its own well being as its concern? Just what the residents of Dimock, Pennsylvania, and Parker County Texas did, speak up, but on a larger scale. We must insist our representatives force regulation on an indusrty that knows its wells are likely to leak pollutants into our surface water and aquifers, and methane and toxic gases into our air. We must insist with our votes that we will elect only those whose hearts and minds are with our welfare, and not solely with corporations that will profit at our expense, and the expense of our children and grandchildren. And we can insist with our dollars that we will boycott places that allow unfettered and unregulated gas drilling. I dissuaded my daughter from considering studying at a college in Pennsylvania, partly due to my concern for her health from effects of gas drilling contamination. I also couldn't morally recommend such a place for a vacation or convention spot, for a place to expand a business and possibly cause others to move to, and certainly not as a place to buy a home and raise a family.

The kafkaesque nature of what is revealed by these documentaries is as terrifying as any fictional movie I've seen. It is suggestive of that not uncommon sci-fi theme where an alien race has somehow enslaved us in order to steal the planet's natural resources. But there are no aliens to blame. We who remain complacent with the state of the industry, and will not demand more oversight are to blame. We who are shortsighted, who choose the quick dollar and cheap energy over the air we breath and water we drink, for ourselves and for future generations, are to blame. The state of gas extraction in this nation illustrated in these documentaries clearly demonstrates that we are not a true democracy, for a true democracy would not allow people to be forced from their homes, or to have their health, clean air, and clean drinking water to be sacrificed all for the profit of a large corporation. We allow money from corporate interests to play too large a part in our politics, and Gasland shows that we have made a deal with the devil in this.

Guerilla Gardening

Wow,
Life got crazy and I forgot I had this blog for awhile, but I'm still around, now in Columbia, SC. I just recently became aware that there is a growing movement around something I was doing in the '80's and '90's back in California. The name that has become associated with the movement is "Guerrilla Gardening", which sounds a bit nefarious to me, but if it adds some intrigue and helps with the popularity of the movement then I'm in favor. From what I've read most of the current movement involves planting either decorative flowers or fruit and vegetable gardens, shrubs, or trees on vacant, unused public or even private lands. Because this is sometimes practiced with out knowledge, consent, or all the properly filled out permits and forms, the work is sometimes performed under cover of night. To me, someone spending time, money and energy to beautify or feed people from neglected ground in regular public view seems a worthy endeavor, and the court case against someone caught and charged with this crime would be pretty sad.

In my case back in California I was tired of seeing what vestiges remained of "The Valley of Heart's Delight" paved over, and of seeing that the planting that was done in the small pockets of earth that remained consisted almost entirely of non native trees and shrubs. We had beautiful native live oaks and valley oaks that even then were almost impossible to find in the valley, except along the immediate edge of the few creeks that hadn't been converted to paved canals. I began collecting acorns from these magnificent trees and sprouting them in containers. I quicly filled up the few spaces in the small yard of my parents house with a few seedlings, then had to look further. It didn't take me long to discover that many of the small strips of dirt between the sidewalks and the streets in my neighbors yards or in front of some strip malls, even on busy streets, were no more than bare patches of dirt. It's dry in California in the summer, and too much work for many to try to keep a lawn going in these small patches, but perfect for a native oak. I planted my seedlings in such places, under cover of night, and even managed to sneak in a few waterings to keep some going through the dry first summer. I remember being very pleased when I saw that a Korean man, who had bought a house not far from my parents after I had planted one of my seedlings in a dirt strip along the sidewalk outside his fence, adopted the not more that 2 foot tree and I regularly saw him caring for it. I went back to California the summer before last with my family and it was a great pleasure to show my children this tree and one other I had planted along a busy expressway in front of a strip mall, now reaching maturity and doing all the things that trees, especially native trees, do for us and our environment.

Here are some links to info on Guerrilla Gardening:

http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

http://www.laguerrillagardening.org/index.php/about/

http://www.npr.org/2013/07/05/181691507/how-can-you-give-a-community-better-health