As drilling and fracking increases across the United States, states are not keeping pace. They are not enforcing the oil and gas laws and regulations they have on the books and few states are putting in place stronger standards to protect water and public health.
Everyday the news is full of reports of water and air pollution from fracking and drilling. Families have lost their homes and health due to negligent and unregulated pollution from wells and frack pits.
And oil and gas is exempt from federal law. The industry doesn’t have to comply with provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and others. Today, companies can frack directly into underground sources of drinking water.
No one is minding the store. Because the state and federal governments are not enforcing regulations, local governments are stepping in and regulating on their own or banning drilling and fracking altogether. Wells drilled today are deeper – the easy to get oil and gas has been tapped – and require more water and chemicals to drill and frack.
But the oil and gas industry is redoubling its efforts – pouring money into advertising and suing local governments that take a stand. They are even taking landowners and bloggers to court that speak out. And the industry is trying to repeal the state regulations that are on the books. The threat to communities from irresponsible oil and gas development has never been greater.
It’s time to take a stand. It’s time for those of us from across America’s oil and gas producing regions to meet in our nation’s Capitol and tell our elected officials and the President that we’ve had enough. Let’s stand together for clean water, clean air and landowner and community rights.
Meet me in Washington for the first-ever NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION to raise the visibility and awareness of the impacts of drilling and fracking on America's communities. Let’s send a strong message to the President and Congress of the need for meaningful regulation and oversight as a critical first step in achieving more responsible energy development in the United States.
Sign up here: http://www.stopthefrackattack.
P.S. – If you can think of friends or networks to pass this on to, please do!
P.S.S. – Our country needs a meaningful conversation about energy development. At Earthworks’ Oil & Gas Accountability Project, we believe drilling should only be allowed to proceed when our water and air is protected, landowner and community rights are in place and no-go zones are established. Most importantly, we need a bold vision to transition to clean energy economy.