What the Frack?

Did you know that Oil and Gas Companies can inject any chemical they want into the ground during fracking, including chemicals that are known hazards to human health? Did you know that the process of fracking is severely contaminating ground water in some places and the Environmental Protection Authority has zero authority to do anything about it? Vermont is leading the way in the fight against fracking by banning the practice, but we need to go further and phase out our use of natural gas. Fracking is destroying communities around the country, and does nothing to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions or the threat of climate change. That is not something Vermonters should support with our energy dollars.

The Global Frackdown
I am participating in the October 19 (2013) Global Frackdown and Climate Mama's Blog Carnival. This is the 2nd annual event and it is to:

"unite concerned citizens everywhere for a day of action to send a message to elected officials in our communities and across the globe that we want a future powered by clean, renewable energy, not dirty, polluting fossil fuels. The journey to a renewable energy future will not be fueled by shale gas. Climate scientists warn that continued extraction and burning of fossil fuels will lead to catastrophic climate change."

Renewable energy smackdown! Image Photoshopped by Mama of Ma'at

What the Frack?
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a risky method of drilling to extract natural gas and oil from shale rock. Gas companies drill a hole several hundred feet into the ground, then drill horizontally through the rock. Then a slurry of water, sand and hundreds of "proprietary" chemicals are injected into the wells to fracture the rock and allow the natural gas to seep out. Gas companies are not required to disclose what chemicals they use thanks to the "Halliburton loophole" created in the 2005 Energy Policy Act. Here is a link to a video that explains fracking in better detail.

The problems with fracking are many and include:

Health & Environmental issues,

• Permanently contaminated drinking water wells (eg: flammable tap water, radioactive water, water filled with known carcinogens)
• Illnesses in people living near wells (headaches, loss of taste/smell, unexplained pain)
• Sick and/or dead animals near fracking wells
• Earthquakes caused by fracking
• Leaking natural gas (a potent greenhouse gas) at drill sites which negate any emissions reductions that burning natural gas provides over burning coal from a climate perspective
• Water shortages due to competition over water for domestic uses vs. fracking

Democratic Process & Environmental Justice issues,

• The Environmental Protection Agency has been crippled (through law) and is not authorized to monitor fracking wells. Therefore, residents living around wells who have their groundwater contaminated due to fracking have no recourse against gas companies other than hiring a lawyer and hoping for the best.

Vermont as a Model
Thankfully, Vermont is a beacon of light in the fracking controversy. In May 2012 Governor Shumlin banned fracking in the State. However, it is considered to be a somewhat symbolic law since Vermont has little to no natural gas. We are not seeing agressive ads on tv that greenwash the natural gas industry. We are not being sent lease offers from gas companies offering us thousands of dollars per acre of land we own that is on top large shale deposits such as the Marcellus in New York/Pennsylvania, the Bakken in North Dakota/Montana, or others in Wyoming, Colorado, Texas and many other states. Nonetheless, our ban on fracking makes Vermont an ally for anti-fracking groups in other states that are fighting for the health of their communities.

What Vermont Should Still Do

Even though Vermont is not directly affected by fracking, we must still do everything we can to transition our state to renewable energy without relying on natural gas as a "bridge fuel." Even now, Vermont Gas Systems is trying to expand their network of natural gas pipelines (which currently serve Chittenden and Franklin counties) to include gas service for Middlebury and Vergennes. It is known as the Addison Natural Gas Project, and it is very controversial because it is seen as contrary to Vermont's renewable energy goals.

Fracking is a big piece in the climate change/fossil fuel puzzle. Transitioning to solar and wind power for electricity seems clear, but natural gas (and other fossil fuels) plays a large role in heating homes during long Vermont winters, and I think that is something we need to work more on. I have completed an energy audit on my home and insulated it to make it as efficient as possible. I have added a pellet stove to reduce my heating oil use, but due to the design of my house it is not possible to heat the whole house with wood pellets. I still rely on heating oil, and if I lived in Chittenden or Franklin counties I would likely rely on natural gas instead of heating oil. I looked into getting geothermal heat, but once again due to the design of my house, it is cost prohibitive. We need more people looking into developing biomass and other sources for thermal heating to help Vermont homeowners get off fossil fuels, including natural gas. We shouldn't import the product of fracking, which is destroying communities around the country, and contributing to climate change.