At a time where jobs are scarce, and economic recovery is tepid, it seems counter intuitive to say that there should be no efforts made to find sources of energy. However, one often has to weigh the dangers involved in pursuing a certain method of obtaining natural resources. In the case of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as it is popularly known is the process of drilling to extract natural gas from underground sources.
While this is billed as safe, the dangers are numerous. In the process of drilling, the natural gas can contaminate the water supply, rendering it unusable for any purpose. Over 700 undisclosed chemicals are used in the process. Fracking has been done in other places, so its not like there aren’t any examples of what happens. The impact on the environment is so negative, that residents of Dimock, Pennsylvania have to ship in their water. In addition to this, the drilling also causes earthquakes. These are all good enough reasons to call for a ban on high pressure hydraulic fracturing in New York.
If you want to get involved, sign the petition. The deadline to prevent fracking from being done in the Catskills is January 11th. For more information about the dangerous environmental impact, visit Food and Water Watch
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