Sunday 3 July 2011

Frickin' Frackers!

I've said it before - I'll say it again - this planet is in crisis. The main problem, as I see it, is that since the 1980's power shifted from politicians to corporate executives. Oh sure, politicians still go through the charade of 'Politicking' but the path we're on is determined by giant corporations and then Politicians 'manage' how we the people best navigate it.

There are quite literally any one of hundreds if not thousands of business practices I could cite as examples of what I mean - (especially in the energy industry) but for today's Blog I just want to look at one - Frickin' Frackers.

When permission was granted to a company to start 'Fracking' off the coast of Britain I was horrified. Myself and a group of friends have been watching the USA's experiences of fracking over the last few years and noticed first a correlation, then secondly a correspondence, between fracking and earthquakes (not to mention all the other horrific side effects of fracking). Sure, they are not earthquakes of the magnitude seen recently in Japan - but they are significant enough to cause unpredictable damage. That alone should be enough to stop the practice now. But no - fracking companies are exempt from just about every piece of legislation in existence when it comes to protection of the environment.

Like I said - permission was granted to start fracking off the coast of Britain near Blackpool in March - and guess what? One month later in April,  Blackpool which is anything but a seismic activity zone - suffers an earthquake. Here's a piece from the British Newspaper 'The Guardian' testifying to that -

A small earthquake has shaken Blackpool and the Fylde coast – toppling traffic lights, cracking a railway bridge and making some residents think they were being burgled as they woke in the early hours to loud noises.   Guardian April 1st 2011

Please, please, please give up just two minutes of your life to watch the trailer for a movie below which encapsulates everything that is wrong about fracking.

This movie is coming to a sink near you! It's something which has to end!


I note with dismay that Exxon polluted the Yellowstone River today - that'll be another slap on the wrist for them then. 

I promise I'll be cheerful tomorrow.

Rory

11 comments:

  1. Being the dummie that I am I had to google Fracking before I watched the clip. I had no idea what that was.
    No wonder the incident of earthquake is on the rise.

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  2. LOL We all have to start somewhere mybabyjohn - I had no idea what it was too until a few years ago. It's just one of an ever growing list of practices I can't believe are permitted to happen.

    I'm over six foot two in height - but some days I feel very small indeed.

    Rory

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  3. In regards to natural gas and "fracking" this is what is going on in Pennsylvania, USA. Almost 40 years ago they built nuclear power plants in our state (I live very close to one), telling us it was very safe and this would be an answer to our energy problem. Today we find out that these plants are past their expected life span (20 years) and besides that, because of the economy, they have lowered the safety requirements that regulated them. Of course, we also have the nuclear waste which will be with us for millions of years.

    Now the buzz is all about Marcellus Shale and the great hopes this will be for our area. The following is a warm and fuzzy article from Chesapeak Energy that promises riches for landowners and prosperity for all.

    Chesapeake is proudly partnering with thousands of landowners throughout the Marcellus Shale to develop the rich natural gas reserves found beneath their property.

    “We are the luckiest people in the whole world right now,” said Chip Lines-Burgess, spokeswoman for the Wyoming County Landowners Group in Pennsylvania, whose membership is collectively leasing 37,000 acres to Chesapeake. “The bonuses paid by Chesapeake will change the lives of many in this county.”

    In 2008, Chesapeake paid almost $2.0 billion in royalties to approximately 130,000 individuals, families and other entities across the U.S. These payments served as a pleasant source of additional income during the country’s economic recession.

    Royalties aren’t the only way natural gas production stimulates local and state economies. Chesapeake’s business activities enhance the lives of people and businesses in areas where we operate through increased tax revenue, well-paying job opportunities for local residents and additional revenue for community vendors and businesses.

    Be afraid, be very afraid!

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  4. Thank you for that comment - you're right of course - we should be afraid. There is so much that'a wrong going on around us that it's hard to steady your aim - you can't single out one issue without overlapping into another and then another and that's a major obstacle to overcome for anyone with a social or environmental conscience. It's not just the land which is being fractured - it's society and even thought itself. I get dizzy thinking about what confronts us as a people.

    I truly don't want to take 'political' sides with any grouping - my allegiance and alliance is with anyone who will 'do the right thing' - and the right thing is to protect this planet and the future of our children. The right thing is is to have a social and environmental conscience. I must say that my own research (albeit not strictly scientific) keeps leading me back to two men and one in particular as unleashing a torrent of horrors on the planet - and coming from a Scotsman living in Australia I hope people can see there's no particular bias in naming the man. That man is Dick Cheney followed very closely by Donald Rumsfeld.

    Those two together appear to have handed over the USA to the 'Military-Industrial Complex' which Dwight D Eisenhower so strongly warned us of.

    Rory

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  5. Rory, I have gifted you with an award. Pop over and pick it up if you are so inclined.

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  6. Cheney and Rumsfeld, the evil twins. Cheyney has been on an artificial heart for over a year and has no pulse but he is still strutting around. I actually do not think that he ever had one to begin with.

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  7. Yikes that is a bit scary Rory. I had no idea what fracking was either. Thanks (I think) for bringing it to my attention.
    And as for Bush, Cheney and Rumsfield - don't get me started. Talk about the real "axis of evil"!

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  8. We really do think alike- we've been watching this phenom for a bit over a year here. I blogged about it last May. I'll send you the link. We are in scary, runaway madness times. But getting the info out is very important; it's the first step toward stopping the insanity. Go Rory!

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  9. Greedy bastards! People need to educate themselves and say no to all this madness before it's too late! Humanity's hunger for energy will be its own downfall. It's like watching an addict self-destroy!

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  10. The more I think about this the more depressed , I too,, become....

    its dreadful but I just divert myself onto other subjects

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  11. Oh my, how unsettling. I had no idea of the practice or the consequences. Thank you for sharing this.

    I sometimes despair at what human are doing to this beautiful planet.

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