At the end of last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned hydraulic fracturing in Nyc, citing the threat it allure to public health. His state's activism health commissioner put it this way: "The potential risks are too great. Actually they are not even fully known. "
Here in California, however , fracking is readily happening and is poised to variety more widely. A report released last month originating from a California Council on Science since Technology showed that as many as one hundred seventy five new fracking wells are drilled in the state every month, even though in depth residents are against it.
The particular would the Golden State make it possible for fracking after New York found the main practice – already linked to woman contamination and earthquakes in The state of colorado, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania – as well risky?
On Saturday, thousands of people from for each corner of the state – comprising the communities being hit hardest around fracking, such as Kern County : will take to the streets of Oakland in a March for Climate Control. We will call on the governor you ought to get all Californians by curtailing a particular practice that directly threatens involving water, our health and our social networks.
One out of every seven Californians tasks within a mile of an oil or just gas well. If all the probab risks of fracking are "not even fully known, " and also perhaps we should consider what we do know with reference to fracking.
First, we know that it's hazardous. Even fracking's supporters (the gas and oil industries and anyone else who emplacement to profit from it) use sentences such as "acceptable, " "minimal" since "mitigating" when discussing the risks. Not just fracking's biggest boosters pretend you are able to no dangers. The truth is that we would not know the full price of expanding fracing until after it's too late. In the situation that your drinking water supply is contaminated, other small solace that the risk of the following happening was minimal.
Second, it needs to be said more oil and gas fracking means very much pollution. That means more of the air pollution typically already made the San Joaquin Valley the most dangerous place in United states to breathe. Why sabotage involving progress on clean air by benefits a huge new source of pollution?
Yet another, and most importantly, scientists know that came across leave as many FOSSIL iPhone 5 case fuels at the ground as possible. To avert devastating global warming, they say, more than 80 percent behind known fossil fuel reserves needs to stay untouched. This reality have to be factored into every energy decision. Obviously our political leaders cannot capitulate this reality in California, a vital leader on climate, can we in fact expect much progress globally?
Usually thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown, Miami boasts the most ambitious state loopholes in the nation for cutting state pollution. That's a logical and crucial response to the threat of global temperatures rising, and a reflection of California's like to show international leadership.
By those same logic, though, we should also generally be looking for every opportunity not to raise the oil and gas production that is creating those pollution. Finding reasons to continue or just to expand fracking in our mention is exactly the opposite of what we should find yourself doing. Why work to solve problem of climate change with a singke hand, and then make it worse with the other one?
Brown has a singular leadership opportunity put a stop to this logical fallacy around refusing to give in to the Fossil iPhone case energy resource lobby and simply saying, "No very much. "
The good news is that California has great energy options that don't have to get fracking. We have excellent renewable energy websites and strong goals. We're our homes of Tesla, Sungevity, Solar Municipality, Sunrun, and SunPower – marketers creating the technology, financing and and also for our clean energy future. The inside decades, California's economy can and ought to be powered with 100 percent cleansed, renewable energy, replacing our oil-guzzling commuting infrastructure with clean-powered electric cars and high-speed rail.
It's coming back California to follow New York's drive and kick fracking to the hold back.
Michael Brune is executive movie director of the Sierra Club.
No comments:
Post a Comment