When I turn on my faucet in anticipation of a cool, clean refreshing drink, I assume (to an extent) that I am safe from harmful toxins and chemicals. I make this assumption because the Safe Drinking Water Act, put forth by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and further enforced by local governments, claims to monitor public sources of drinking water and ensure their safety from a public health standpoint. But I am wrong in making this assumption, because I forget to consider to loopholes granted to our country’s corporate energy monsters- er, companies. The oil and gas industry is the only constituent granted immunity from following regulations in accordance with the act, due an exemption provided within the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This act was put in place by the Bush Administration, and exempts energy companies who utilize hydraulic fluid fracturing processes in extracting for natural gases from the Earth, a method which has been criticized by many environmental advocacy groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Fracturing is often carried out in very close proximity to sources of public drinking water, and is harmful because of the harmful toxins that it inserts forcibly into the ground. There is currently no policy which requires fracturing companies to reveal the chemicals used during their processes, and thanks to the policies put in place during the Bush-Cheney administration, federal oversight of these companies was removed, allowing them to operate freely, despite their environmental and public health implications. Not surprisingly, Halliburton was the company responsible for the development of hydraulic fracturing in the 1940s, and is one of the most prominent users of the process today.
Currently, an amendment to the Safe Water Drinking Act is being considered by the United States House of Representatives, put forth by several legislators from both the House and the Senate. The Fracking Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, known commonly as the FRAC Act, seeks to close loopholes created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, requiring hydraulic fracturing to once again be monitored by the federal government. It also calls upon energy companies to publicly release information about the chemicals used.
Energy company executives are, true to form, organizing and audibly complaining about the proposed amendment to the legislation. They claim that the change would result in higher costs for natural gas extraction, leading to higher gas prices and job loss in an already unstable economy. In addition to this unwarranted fear-mongering, they are lobbying to law makers, threatening to sue if the regulations are imposed. But the information they provide is outdated and incorrect in many cases.
Our drinking water is not something to be messed around with- we should demand that the EPA and our local and state governments do all that they can to ensure our safety and our health. Please, write to your local representatives and ask them to support this amendment to the Safe Water Drinking Act- don’t let Halliburton contaminate your water just to turn a buck!
Interesting, it is sad how of little importance an issue like this is to our society.
ReplyDelete