"Gasland" Exposes "The Halliburton Loophole"
Posted by Ethan Poole on Friday, January 28, 2011
Under: Toxin Free
Happy Friday Neergs!
Joshua Kors of the Huffington Post brought our attention to a great film you should all know about. We've discussed "fracking" before at Green Kids Rock--a controversial natural gas drilling operation. Now you won't want to miss GasLand. I know, documentaries can sometimes be a snooze, but Josh Fox isn't an Oscar Nominee or a Sundance Film award winner for nothing! In May of 2008, Fox was offered $100,000 to lease his land to a natural gas company. $100,000? No-brainer right? Well, not necessarily. Fox isn't your typical American with an unexamined life! I'm sure the money was tempting. Fox was just a small town art director in Pennsylvania. But Fox had good instincts and jumped on the opportunity to investigate this attractive offer. As is typical with such offers, Fox discovered that if something appears too good to be true, it probably is.
Fox's investigation lead him to many small towns with families that had allowed the gas companies to pursue "fracking" operations on their property. What he found was appalling and criminal. These towns and families were experiencing, for the first time, serious health problems, disease--and even home explosions. Now, the gas companies are of course rejecting the insinuation that fracking is the problem. They maintain that their chemicals, being pressured thousands of feet underground, couldn't possibly escape their casings and seep into the ground water. The worst part of all is this sneaky legal move called the "Halliburton Loophole." This loophole is a language clause in the 2005 Energy Bill (recommended by former VP Cheney) that keeps the Environmental Protection Agency from doing it's job to protect our drinking water. Bottom line? The natural gas industry is free to go about their business unchecked--for now!
But it's not over kids--sometimes the bad guys do themselves in. Apparently the natural gas lobby is so indignant and angry about Fox's documentary that they have launched a counter campaign. And because they have so much money to throw around, they have actually brought even more attention to Fox's movie! Hah! So, enjoy the attached video. One is a great trailer for GasLand, the other is a ridiculous rebuff by the gas industry. And if you still need convincing, read Fox's rebuttal to the industry here. He's informed and has an answer for everything to keep the gas guys on their toes! I'm guessing you'll have the chance to see GasLand on HBO again soon with all the great publicity FOX is getting. We'll keep our ears tuned for it and let you know. Peace Out--Ethan
Joshua Kors of the Huffington Post brought our attention to a great film you should all know about. We've discussed "fracking" before at Green Kids Rock--a controversial natural gas drilling operation. Now you won't want to miss GasLand. I know, documentaries can sometimes be a snooze, but Josh Fox isn't an Oscar Nominee or a Sundance Film award winner for nothing! In May of 2008, Fox was offered $100,000 to lease his land to a natural gas company. $100,000? No-brainer right? Well, not necessarily. Fox isn't your typical American with an unexamined life! I'm sure the money was tempting. Fox was just a small town art director in Pennsylvania. But Fox had good instincts and jumped on the opportunity to investigate this attractive offer. As is typical with such offers, Fox discovered that if something appears too good to be true, it probably is.
Fox's investigation lead him to many small towns with families that had allowed the gas companies to pursue "fracking" operations on their property. What he found was appalling and criminal. These towns and families were experiencing, for the first time, serious health problems, disease--and even home explosions. Now, the gas companies are of course rejecting the insinuation that fracking is the problem. They maintain that their chemicals, being pressured thousands of feet underground, couldn't possibly escape their casings and seep into the ground water. The worst part of all is this sneaky legal move called the "Halliburton Loophole." This loophole is a language clause in the 2005 Energy Bill (recommended by former VP Cheney) that keeps the Environmental Protection Agency from doing it's job to protect our drinking water. Bottom line? The natural gas industry is free to go about their business unchecked--for now!
But it's not over kids--sometimes the bad guys do themselves in. Apparently the natural gas lobby is so indignant and angry about Fox's documentary that they have launched a counter campaign. And because they have so much money to throw around, they have actually brought even more attention to Fox's movie! Hah! So, enjoy the attached video. One is a great trailer for GasLand, the other is a ridiculous rebuff by the gas industry. And if you still need convincing, read Fox's rebuttal to the industry here. He's informed and has an answer for everything to keep the gas guys on their toes! I'm guessing you'll have the chance to see GasLand on HBO again soon with all the great publicity FOX is getting. We'll keep our ears tuned for it and let you know. Peace Out--Ethan
In : Toxin Free