I have news for the Environmental Defense Fund: the fracking activist community is shocked that you received $6 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies to advocate for fracking regulations. And we aren't going to stand for it.
EDF says that they'll be working for "responsible" regulation in 14 states. Of course, this is a just double speak that means swooping into states where there is a strong grassroots movement against fracking and shilling for the oil and gas industry. They will claim to represent environmentalists while they promote regulation that is so weak even the gas industry can live with it.
Of course, everyone in the environmental movement knows that this is EDF's modus operandi. In fact, for years, public interest advocates have rolled their eyes and complained to one another in private about how EDF undercuts their work time and time again. But, everyone is afraid to speak out because they might upset funders, who are turned off by disagreements among environmentalists.
Maybe it's time to redefine exactly what protecting the environment means. People are ready to fight for what they really want. They don't want to settle for some weak compromise that was negotiated without a strong fight.
And this time, EDF has met its match. Grassroots activists in communities facing fracking are not beholden to corporations or conservative foundations for funding. They're tired of the same old game where national green groups undermine their work. Fractivists will never stand still and allow EDF or any other group to come into their state with weak "model legislation" that is simply an industry proposal in disguise.
This is about our children and grandchildren's future. Fracked gas is no solution to climate change. Cornell University found that methane emissions from shale gas drilling are at least 30 percent higher than those from conventional gas, and may be just as severe as coal. There is absolutely no evidence that shale gas will improve the outlook for the ongoing crisis of global warming. A better strategy is to move away from fossil fuels altogether -- not to lock us in to a future dependent on natural gas.
This is especially true since the oil and gas industry is misusing our water supplies at a time when we face increasing droughts that are also associated with climate change. I recently attended an industry conference -- the first "summit" of the oil, gas and water industry. Some big numbers about the ongoing use of water resources were exposed at this corporate shindig. An official from Aquatech BV said that 2.4 billion gallons of produced water (i.e. polluted water) are generated from oil and gas operations in the U.S. each day, and in the rest of the world, another 5.7 billion gallons of produced water are generated each day -- adding up to a total daily volume of 8.1 billion gallons of polluted water. This is enough water to cover the entire U.S. with polluted water and it's enough to fill up the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the U.S., every six years. The volume of produced water is increasing at a rate of 8 percent annually, according to an official at GE Power.
Further, it seems like almost every week a new study comes out about the dangers of fracking. Stony Brook University published an article in the journal Risk Analysis this month that found substantial water pollution risks to rivers and other waterways from the disposal of fracking wastewater. A University of Texas seismologist tracked earthquakes in the Barnett Shale in Texas and found a correlation between the disposal of fracking wastewater in underground injection wells and small earthquake activity. The research will be published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this month.
The truth is that fracking is no way to address climate change. Instead, the rapid expansion of the drilling process has brought rampant environmental and economic problems to rural communities. Accidents and leaks have polluted rivers, streams and drinking water supplies. Regions peppered with drilling rigs have high levels of smog as well as other airborne pollutants, including potential carcinogens. Rural communities face an onslaught of heavy truck traffic -- often laden with dangerous chemicals used in drilling -- and declining property values. The "bridge fuel" of fracking could well be a bridge to nowhere.
My advice to EDF is to return the money. They will be further discredited in the environmental movement if they pursue this strategy. And eventually, as more people catch on, they will be discredited among not only policymakers and the media, but their membership too.
This post originally appeared at Food & Water Watch's blog.
CORRECTION: This blog has been updated with the correct measurement regarding the amount of water the oil and gas industry pollutes each day in the U.S.: 2.4 billion gallons, not trillion.
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1) All fresh water winds up as salty brine - it all winds up in the ocean.
2) Shall we stop the rain from draining off roads into streams also? The impurities from those Trillions of gallons every time it rains far exceed that found in fracking fluid.
This reminds me of the Granite Counter Top scare in the NY Times - the radon in the average countertop was enough to kill several people out of a thousand. However, it was junk science as those thousands would have had to grind and snort the entire counter top over a lifetime to be exposed to the minute amounts of radon in the granite.
The volumes you quote for produced water are wrong by 3 orders of magnitude. The number should be 2.4 BILLION, not 2.4 TRILLION and appears that it was misquoted from our report linked below. It's still a lot of water, but not as you suggest "enough to cover the entire area of the United States 3 feet deep every year." Actually your supposition is a pretty good sanity check that the number presented could not possibly be right as it is a completely irrational amount of water (where could it all possibly go? How could you possibly move that volume of water?).
http://www.evs.anl.gov/pub/dsp_detail.cfm?PubID=2437
Thanks,
Chris Harto
Argonne National Laboratory
Another clarification, the water is not "wasted". Produced water is salty brine that is in the formation that is brought to the surface when oil and gas is produced. This water is a byproduct of the production and a waste stream that must be treated or disposed of. Yes it is a challenge and it does require resources to treat or dispose of this water, but it does not impact normal water resources unless it is disposed of improperly.
If you would like to become more informed on these issues I highly recommend you take a look at some of our DOE funded reports on many of these issues.
http://www.evs.anl.gov/project/dsp_topicdetail.cfm?topicid=18
Oh… My… God. This opinion represents all that is wrong with the anti-hydraulic fracturing movement, namely that there is no room for compromise and if a regulation is proposed that the energy companies can live with, they believe it must be catastrophic for the environment. Of course, this is not true but it just goes to show you how inflexible the anti-fracking enthusiasts are.
“In EDF's view, calling for a ban is simply not enough.” This implies you’re working for stronger regulations while pressing for bans. But EDF is not supporting communities on bans. We suggest Fred Krupp take the time to go to PA, OH and other states and hear first-hand why fracking is too dangerous to pursue.
“If hydraulic fracturing is going to be happening ANYWHERE – and in all honesty, whether we like it or not, it will – we need to ensure that strong rules are put in place for the safety and health of our communities.” We’ve heard “the train is out of the station” too often. You’ve given up before the fight has even begun. And you’re supporting 50 additional years of fossil fuel infrastructure--including that which will satisfy the export market--rather than fighting for clean energy.
“This is not about helping the natural gas industry. It is about ensuring strong regulation, tough enforcement, and stiff penalties for noncompliance.” Are you saying you have not taken money from the oil and gas industry to further the development of natural gas?
We call on EDF to make public the states it is working in and the so-called model regulations it is promoting. In NY, the fight against fracking is strong, and we might be able to stop it with your help. Will you come out for a ban on fracking in NY?
Most "environmental" advocates care nothing for the environment beyond its utility as a vehicle to deliver the ghastly collectivism that enslaves the individual. Most environmental organizations are watermelons. Green on the outside, red on the inside.
The Obama administration has doubled the number of new oil/gas developments. We are now exporting energy to developing countries so that they can learn to pollute like us. We can use EXISTING developments as a cushion, as the bridge, to clean decentralized energy. EDF, help clean up the mess that already exists; don't go making new ones. Or your reputation will go down like a lead balloon.