High Risks of Fracking

02/01/2018

Congressional Candidate Lange joins Kucinich in calling for a moratorium on fracking

"The natural gas pipeline explosion on January 31 in eastern Noble County should be a loud wake-up call for everyone as to the grave dangers posed by fracking", said Werner Lange, a Democratic Candidate for Ohio's 6th Congressional District, "Two weeks later a well pad exploded at Powhatan Point causing the evacuation of local residents and a massive emission of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, for nearly three weeks. No one should have to face a future filled with these man-made dangers."

"These dangers are, of course, not just restricted to massive pipeline explosions, but include threats to fresh water supplies; contamination of lakes, rivers and wetlands; environmental health problems; air and noise pollution; man-made earthquakes; destruction of wildlife habitats; and damage to property values."

Let the facts speak for themselves:

each of the many hundreds of Utica Shale gas wells in SE Ohio consumes an average of around 5 million gallons of fresh water;
about 12% of the total "available water" in the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is drained by the fracking industry;
"the ultimate result of extensive gas exploitation to the Muskingum River Watershed will be that groundwater and surface water contamination will occur...toxic hydro-fracking fluids injected deeply into the ground will move with groundwater flow systems, eventually moving upward into freshwater aquifers, reservoirs and waterways" (Hydroquest, "Hydrogeologic Concerns", 2012)
pipeline failure caused a massive pipeline explosion in Morgan County in 2011;
in December 2017, a gas pipeline operated by Kinder Morgan exploded killing two farmers, a father and son, in Illinois;
in October 2017, a massive natural gas pipeline leak and explosion on the Columbia Gas Transmission System killed a worker in Bethlehem Township;
Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) spilled some 2 million gallons of drilling fluid into the Tuscawaras River watershed in April 2017 ("ETP frustrated by order to stop Rover pipeline drilling in Ohio", Rueters, Jan. 29, 2018);
Ohio, particularly the 6th Congressional District, has become a dumping ground for massive quantities of fracked toxic waste from other states;
the Kansas-based Tallgrass Energy Partners (TEP), owners and operators of the Seneca Lateral pipeline that exploded on Jan. 31, was only founded in 2013 in order to handsomely cash in on fracking in SE Ohio and elsewhere.

"What is happening in SE Ohio with this invasion of these profit-hungry fracking industries could not be worse if an avaricious alien force had taken over and systematically depleted our natural resources; poisoned our water wells and aquifers; ruined our roads; contaminated our lakes; destroyed the Wayne National Forest; and harmed our health, leaving a path of destruction and despair when finished raping mother earth for their pleasure and profit".

"I join Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dennis Kucinich in calling for an end to fracking and the restoration of fracked communities in Ohio"