Don’t Frack My Mother: music video from Artists Against Fracking Xeni Jardin at 10:01 am Mon, Mar 11, 2013

• [Dan]

  BoingBoing is generally pro-science, so I’m confused why they are promoting an anti-science group like Artists Against Fracking.

  • [chenille]

    From their webpage (right now the link, by the way, is broken):

    We thank the Governor for listening to his constituents’ concerns about fracking, and we hope he will continue to carefully review the issue, ignore the propaganda of the oil and gas industry, listen to the science and act further to protect the well-being of New Yorkers.

    I suppose that might be something an anti-science group would say, but most of them tell me not to listen to science (because evolutionists and people studying vaccines and Michael Mann are not to be trusted). This sounds more for science and against this industry.

    See also this previous post on this group and the discussion there.

  • [Xeni Jardin]

    I call bullshit on your comment.

    The artists against fracking aren’t saying the earth is flat. This isn’t a science vs. faith argument.

    There’s actually quite a lot of science that says the newer fracking methods these big-oil/big-gas companies are using will cause irreversible environmental damage, and serious health and mortality risks for animals and humans who depend on water from those areas.

    • [eerd]

      Some science says that, yes, and some doesn’t. Development of any energy source is going to involve trade offs. Probably the most important thing the world can do to stop – or at least slow – climate change is to stop burning coal. In the short term at least this will involve more natural gas consumption. (And to pre-empt the inevitable talk of the Howarth Cornell study saying shale gas is worse than coal, this has been debunked.) 

      Whether New York wants to go ahead with fracking is, of course, a decision that should be taken by the state’s government. The benefits, such as reducing coal consumption should at least be considered. Which is better, fracking or strip mining West Virginia? 

      There are legitimate concerns, but these can be addressed, through things like green completions/frack fluids. The EPA’s study on fracking is due out next year, which should be very revealing. The agency seems to have demonstrated it is not afraid of taking on industry so, should it find for fracking, this will be notable. 

    • [CLamb]

      Banning fracking is reactionary.  The risks are nearly the same as other drilling for fossil fuels.  Very rarely are the strata containing the natural gas close to the strata containing the ground water.  In these cases there is a case to be made for banning fracking.  The strata being tapped for fossil fuels are below the ground water containing strata.  Ground water can become contaminated from things in the bore hole where it passes through the ground water strata if the bore hole is improperly lined but this can also happen when hydraulic fracturing is not used.  Surface water can become contaminated if the driller illegally dumps things at the site but this is also true of any mining process.  Like many other things people do hydraulic fracturing is safe when done with due care and dangerous when done recklessly.

• [D3]

  Smug alert!

• [Margo van der Voort]

  Northern Rivers communities are celebrating the news today that Metgasco have indefinitely suspended all their coal seam gas operations in the Northern Rivers. The Lock the Gate Alliance says that this is a huge vindication of the efforts of thousands of people across the region to protect their land, water and communities from the threat of CSG. “Whilst the company may blame regulatory uncertainty for their decision, the fact is that their operations have faced massive opposition from communities across the region,” said Boudicca Cerese, spokesperson for Lock the Gate Northern Rivers. “In the past two years we have seen the growth of an unprecedented social movement made up of people from across the political spectrum who are totally opposed to the industrialisation of our beautiful region for coal seam gas mining.” “We have seen all sorts of innovative and creative actions from community members ranging from the development of the grass roots gas field free community surveys to the formation of community action groups like the wonderful Knitting Nannas Against Gas.”  “We have witnessed the largest ever rally in the region with 7,000 people on the streets of Lismore last May marching against coal seam gas.”  “We have been inspired by the courageous efforts of local communities and their supporters at Glenugie and Doubtful Creek who have survived floods and wild weather whilst continuously blockading Metgasco’s drilling operations for almost four months.” “People from all walks of life have come together as never before- farmers, townspeople, Aboriginal traditional owners, tree changers, you name it- working collaboratively in the face of our government’s failure to protect what we all hold dear- our natural places, food growing land and precious water supplies,” she said. “Metgasco may claim that they have just suspended their operations till the regulatory environment is secure but in reality, they, or any other CSG company, will never be able to operate in our region,” said Ian Gaillard, Lock the Gate Regional Co-ordinator. “Our surveys show the community opposition to coal seam gas is over 95%, these companies have no social license in the Northern Rivers and they will never, ever get one.” “If Metgasco or others try to return to our region they will be faced with the same opposition they have met over the last year.” “The people of the Northern Rivers  have shown that coal seam gas companies simply cannot operate in the face of empowered and resolute community opposition,” he said.

• [Margo van der Voort]

   The protectors of land, river systems, communities and families, water aquifers, forests and farmland in Northern New South Wales, Australia have managed to bring down a major coal seam gas explorere and investor, Metgasco! By blockading two drilling sites for weeks on end and generating much media attention, getting politicians on side and influencing local state and federal governments, new laws have been put in place to investigate the dangers of this gas fracking industry and there are many! In Queensland families have already been affected with diseases that can only be explained by toxic effects of nearby gaswells and it’s proven! Their water and bores contains methane and other toxic chemicals. Gas/methane is bubbling up from the soil everywhere and detection was helped by the recent flooding but also with detecting devises that went haywire everywhere. And these are just exploration wells, the real fracking had not even started! The people of the Northern Rivers have put their lives on hold and went all out to stop this destructive and ecocidal industry with peaceful direct action and permanent campsites on supporting farmers’ land. Metgasco shareprice went down like a brick and the shareholders are reinvesting elsewhere. Australians are not accepting this whole country turning into a massive gridline of gas wells. If the gas companies try again there will be bigger protests and blockades. Lock the Gate allience on facebook has many members and are actively informing communities to lock their gates too. A massive win for Australia!