No fracking waste in Connecticut for the next 3 years 2014

40,000 people are killed in car accidents every year.  What is being done about that?  What is being done about the bankrupting of our country by career politicians?  What happened to the melting of the ice glaciers?  They are expanding at the largest rate in 100 years.  If the radicals in the Middle East have their way our country will be destroyed.  I believe in green energy.  I invested hundred of thousands of dollars but lost it all because it is not economically viable.  I think we need to be pragmatic about our energy needs Annette Thor.

Conrad Allen, Is having more natural gas more urgent of a need than having access to clean water?

We can(and have) survived without gas and oil more than we could survive without clean water. Water is essential to life, gas and oil are not.

The EPA and scientists have found a correlation between water pollution and fracking.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-fracking/

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/08/143386908/epa-connects-fracking-with-water-contamination

http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml

“…A major study, the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture,

reveals that one in three people today face water shortages (CA, 2007). Around 1.2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world’s population, live in areas of physical scarcity, and 500 million people are approaching this situation. Another 1.6 billion people, or almost one quarter of the world’s population, face economic water shortage…Scarcity is also a question of water quality. Freshwater bodies have a limited capacity  to process the pollutant charges of the effluents from expanding urban, industrial and agricultural uses. Water quality degradation can be a major cause of water scarcity….In the last century, the world population has tripled. It is expected to rise from the present 6.5 billion to 8.9 billion by 2050, before leveling off. Water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century, and, although there is no global water scarcity as such, an increasing number of regions are chronically short of water. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under conditions of water stress. The situation will be exacerbated as rapidly growing urban areas place heavy pressure on local water resources.” -http://www.fao.org/nr/water/docs/escarcity.pdf

You are blogging courtesy of fossil fuel.  We lived fine without fossil fuels in the 1700's and 1800's.  Are you suggesting that we return to that era without machines, electricity, motor vehicles, airplanes, clean water plants, sewerage treatment systems, etc?  You can do that now in parts of Africa, Australia, Afghanistan and other wonderful locations that still live in the 1800's.

I can also link you up to articles from "scientists" that have facts about the earth being flat, aliens living on earth, Elvis being alive, etc.  The fact of the matter is that the EPA is the regulator from hell.  They would shut down these fracking operations in a heart beat if they could.  Flames coming out of faucets was happening long before fracking occurred.  Do you know what happens when an existing well is fracked?  We have had many wells fracked.  It is a safe process.  I haven't looked into the fracking of shale but it must work on a similar process.

We need to find solutions to our problems not go around yelling nimby.  The populations across the world are increasing.  Water is a luxury in many parts of the world.  If the United States is too stay safe and maintain our lifestyle than energy creation is mandatory.  Or we will go the way of the Roman Empire,  USSR, British Empire and others that were too big too fail.  No easy answers but starting with term limits for all local, state and federal officials would be a start Annette Thor.

Fracking can cause some pretty big messes.

Conrad Allen Having wells fracked to allow water flow is not the same process as fracking trying to extract gas from shale.  Only high pressure water is used to open up water wells.  Fracking for gas involves many dangerous chemicals as well as water to extract the gas.  

Jeff Jensen it certainly has caused huge messes for some homeowners.  And the way energy companies have dealt with leaks and accidents is not comendable by anyone standards.

This is another very good petition to send to congress;

https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3181&s_src=slider&__utma=44879099.1299656614.1410364357.1410364357.1412083086.2&__utmb=44879099.3.9.1412083119757&__utmc=44879099&__utmx=-&__utmz=44879099.1412083086.2.2.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=173147686

99.5% is water (90%) and sand (9.5%) .5% of the mixture used to frack are chemicals.  They are listed below.  This is an extremely regulated process.  There is nothing I am going to say that will change your mind.  This is my last response Annette Thor.  I do hope that you are walking the walk and use no hydro carbons.

Fluid is typically a slurry of water, proppant, and chemical additives.^[50] Additionally, gels, foams, and compressed gases, including nitrogen,carbon dioxide and air can be injected. Typically, 90% of the fluid is water and 9.5% is sand with chemical additives accounting to about 0.5%.^[42][51][52] However, fracturing fluids have been developed using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and propane in which water is unnecessary.^[53] 

The fracturing fluid varies dependant on fracturing type, conditions of specific wells being fractured, and water characteristics. A typical fracture treatment uses between 3 and 12 additive chemicals.^[42] Although there may be unconventional fracturing fluids, typical chemical additives can include one or more of the following:

• Acids—hydrochloric acid or acetic acid is used in the pre-fracturing stage for cleaning the perforations and initiating fissure in the near-wellbore rock.^[52]
• Sodium chloride (salt)—delays breakdown of gel polymer chains.^[52]
• Polyacrylamide and other friction reducers decrease turbulence in fluid flow and pipe friction, thus allowing the pumps to pump at a higher rate without having greater pressure on the surface.^[52]
• Ethylene glycol—prevents formation of scale deposits in the pipe.^[52]
• Borate salts—used for maintaining fluid viscosity during the temperature increase.^[52]
• Sodium and potassium carbonates—used for maintaining effectiveness of crosslinkers.^[52]
• Glutaraldehyde—used as disinfectant of the water (bacteria elimination).^[52]
• Guar gum and other water-soluble gelling agents—increases viscosity of the fracturing fluid to deliver proppant into the formation more efficiently.^[49][52]
• Citric acid—used for corrosion prevention.
• Isopropanol—increases the viscosity of the fracture fluid.^[52]

The most common chemical used for hydraulic fracturing in the United States in 2005–2009 was methanol, while some other most widely used chemicals were isopropyl alcohol, 2-butoxyethanol, and ethylene glycol.^[55]

Conrad Allen , where did you source this list of chemicals?  And what makes you feel all these are completely harmless?  Do you feel 100% confident about your water supply if these chemicals are being poured past it? 

The material safety data sheets on these chemicals are available through this link, they dont strike me as innocuous and harmless.

http://fracfocus.org/chemical-use/what-chemicals-are-used

Based on this map created by the national institute of health I'd say we already have too many environmental waste sites, and fracking has and will continue to add to this;

http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/flex/

Barbara Todaro  , My father is an environmental scientist and deals with assessing environmental contamination all over the world.  I must admit this is my first encounter with someone who supports fracking. 

I am among hundreds of thousands.  You are too young to remember the oil embargo of 1973 Annette Thor.

Touchy subject here in California, and particulary here in Santa Barbara as Proposition P with the Oil and Fracking related industries pouring a ton of money into their ad campaign.  The even have a Fireman stating Santa Barbara County will be less safe from fires if fracking isn't allowed.  The thinking the revenues from the oil industry to Santa Barbara will lessen if this isn't allowed. Incredible sales tactics!  

Since were in an Oil based economy the liklihood of anyone believing in any of the scientific data is the problem.  The status quo will not be deterred.  Bascially, enjoy the next forty years, after that it's anyone's guesss...

There's talk of privatizing water on the right.  Once the aquafirs are destroyed that might be the only option?  Brillant hunh?

I saw this article about fracking chemicals contaminating aquifiers in California;

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/26301-confirmed-billions-of-gallons-of-fracking-waste-contaminate-drought-ravaged-californias-aquifers

The fracking process uses an absurd amount of water, and California is the last place that has water to spare for this questionable process.

Aloha Barbara,

The US is currently the largest exporter of Sweet Crude in the world, largely do to fracking for oil. In 2008 we were told we were rapidly running out of oil. Today, we are producing so much we are now the largest oil producer in the world. It is making many people rich and thus will stymie any regulation.

It's called the Corporate Trust Racket. It's where corporations hide the chemicals they use in order to see unmitigated financial gain. They say "trust us" we won't harm you.

Low and behold we find out later that the Government oversight is suddenly managed by former oil executives. Your Senators and Congresspersons have received large campaign contributions from energy companies, the scientists have received enormous research grants "proving" the safety of undisclosed chemical compounds and their interactions with the environment, and we the people have higher gas prices, contaminated living environments, and mysterious debilitating health issues.

The same can be said for BIG AG and the likes of Monsanto and Syngenta, and BIG PHARMA and the likes of Eli Lilly and Pfizer and any Corporation who says trust us; our patented products require your ignorance in order to work.

You will be assailed as being ignorant for beliving that they can't be trusted, because after all science is science not superstition. But I say GREED is GREED and any result can be "fixed" and justified especially  when enormous profits are to be made. 

peace,

Mark Lomas 

I read recently that the aquifers have been contaminated, this is proof that the consequences of accidents from fracking are not acceptable!

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/10/11/report-confirms-fracking-poisoning-californias-dwindling-aquifers.html

I wonder if the companies will spend as much cleaning the contamination as they will have spent on lobbying. Usually companies polluting put up lengthy fights to avoid cleaning environmental mishaps ie. GE in the Hudson river.

Water must remain a public resource and everyone should have a right to clean water.  Privatizing water is such a disaster; I’d whole heartedly support movements to prevent it.

Kimo (Im having trouble tagging), 

Thank you for your supportive comments.  Big Ag and Pharma definitely need to have less control over government policy.  The plans are to export the gas from fracking, so the American public is risking contamination of their ground water for energy companies to be able to make profits selling it overseas.

Since fracking has been so prolific lately I wonder what effect the EPA really has anymore in protecting the public from toxins.  Especially, when they shut down a lawsuit against a company that contaminated the groundwater in Weatherford Texas.

http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/02/05/ed-rendell-range-resources-obama-epa-texas-fracking-water-contamination-lawsuit

I also found this list of major reasons fracking is harmful;

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/26367-9-good-reasons-to-ban-fracking-immediately