Today Rolling Stone Magazine covered a story you won't want to miss: a new report co-authored by Catskill Mountainkeeper's own Senior Research Director, Kathy Nolan, shines a light on the hazards posed by fracking to our families, communities, and the environment. As Rolling Stone said, it's "the most authoritative study of its kind."
Drawing on news investigations, government assessments and more than 1,200 peer-reviewed research articles, the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking, 5th Edition was written and released by Physicians for Social Responsibility and Concerned Health Professionals of New York. It finds that fracking – shooting chemical-laden fluid into deep rock layers to release oil and gas – is poisoning the air, contaminating the water and imperiling the health of Americans across the country.
"Fracking is the worst thing I've ever seen," said Dr. Sandra Steingraber, one of the report's eight co-authors, and a biologist who has worked as a public health advocate on issues like breast cancer and toxic incinerators.
We know that's the truth. That's why right now Mountainkeeper is fighting to protect the Delaware River from fracking. You can learn more and influence the Delaware River Basin Commission's proposal to ban fracking and pressure them to prohibit wastewater treatment and storage in the Basin here.
The grave evidence about fracking's negative health impacts is especially concerning given that over 17 million Americans now live within a mile of an active oil or gas well. This population includes over a million young children and a million elderly people, two groups with special physical vulnerabilities to air pollution and contaminated water. Other included studies show harm to infants born to mothers who live near drilling and fracking operations during their pregnancies.
As more and more health professionals examine the data and raise red flags, increasing numbers of communities and decisionmakers are taking action. In February, a Republican-controlled committee of the Florida State Senate voted unanimously to support a ban on fracking, following widespread public opposition to fracking across the state. The underlying reason for this decision: demonstrated risks of water contamination and other negative public health impacts. Earlier editions of the Compendium have been widely used by policymakers and advocates throughout the United States and globally as part of successful efforts to establish state bans on fracking in Vermont, New York, Maryland; bans by communities in California, Colorado, and other states; as well as bans in France, Scotland, Wales, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, and parts of Canada.
Catskill Mountainkeeper is proud of our work on this critical issue, and our team is determined to keep fighting fracking and its infrastructure at every opportunity, from beating back the Constitution Pipeline, convincing Governor Cuomo to ban fracking in New York State, supporting communities fighting power plants and compressor stations, and more. Right now, we're fighting to keep fracking out of the Delaware River Basin; you can learn more and comment here.
New Yorkers would not be where we are today in the fight to free New York from fossil fuels without the collaboration of numerous groups, big and small, or dedicated activists like you. Together we're stronger and together we will win.
Please forward this message to spread the word. The incontrovertible evidence of harm from fracking is mounting, and more health professionals are raising the alarm. Thanks to this compelling scientific data–and your hard work--the fracking debate is now taking place within a vastly altered landscape, and we are well positioned to build on this important momentum in the coming months.
With thanks for your support and all you do in this important work,
Ramsay Adams, Executive Director
