Stop the Frack Attack Before It's Too Late!

 Help stop an onslaught of dangerous fracking‏

 

NRDC - Frances Beinecke

biogemsdefenders@savebiogems.org

From:

NRDC - Frances Beinecke (biogemsdefenders@savebiogems.org)

Dear james, Toxic spills ... poisoned drinking water ... air that’s unsafe to breathe. This could be the new reality for thousands of communities across America -- unless we fight back and Stop the Frack Attack right now. Send a message to President Obama. Ask him to build on his environmental record by imposing tough safeguards on oil and gas drilling! Oil and gas companies are running amok as they race to expand dangerous fracking operations in dozens of states -- leaving poisoned water, polluted landscapes and plummeting property values in their wake. The result? Local communities, once quiet and peaceful, have been transformed into nightmarish industrial zones. Ask President Obama to build on his environmental record and put the health of American families first by imposing strong safeguards on oil and gas drilling. Incredibly, fracking is now exempt from some of our country’s most important environmental protections. That’s because, in 2005, Vice-President Dick Cheney asked his cronies in the energy industry what they wanted, and they got their wish: the Halliburton Loophole, which exempts fracking from the Safe Drinking Water Act and laws that govern disposal of toxic waste! And there’s plenty that’s toxic about fracking. It works by blasting massive amounts of water, sand and toxic chemicals into the ground in order to release oil or gas that is trapped in rock. Frackers can use up to 300 different chemicals, many of which are known to be cancer-causing. But if you want to know which of these potentially deadly chemicals Big Oil is pumping into the ground near your home -- tough luck! Federal law doesn’t require oil and gas companies to disclose what chemicals they’re using. In the past five years, ExxonMobil, Shell and other energy companies have drilled more than 200,000 new wells across the United States -- many virtually in the backyards of tens of thousands of Americans. And they’re chomping at the bit to drill more. Call on the President to build on his environmental record by standing up to the oil giants and putting the brakes on their reckless drilling spree. In the meantime, NRDC will be providing expert legal assistance to cities and towns on the frontlines of this battle -- empowering them to ban or restrict fracking if they so choose. But make no mistake: we must mobilize now for tough national rules that will stop fracking companies from running roughshod over our communities and health. Please send your message to President Obama right away. And thank you for standing with NRDC. Sincerely, Frances Beinecke President Natural Resources Defense Council