Fracking up nationwide as Colorado officials eye new disclosure rule by year’s end

By David O. Williams | 09.21.11
Washington Independent

Whether it’s called hydraulic fracturing, hydro-fracking or just plain fracking, the controversial but common natural gas drilling process remains the focus of intense public scrutiny and public awareness events from Colorado to New York, including a couple of unique fracking functions set for this weekend.

In Fort Collins on Saturday, Save the Poudre and the local chapter of the Sierra Club will host former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) whistleblower Wes Wilson at the Fort Collins Brewery. Wilson pointed out the deficiencies in what many critics claim was a rushed and inadequate study of fracking prior to a Safe Drinking Water Act exemption for the process that was granted in the 2005 Energy Policy Act during the Bush administration.

“Millions of gallons of fracking fluids are left underground,” said Save the Poudre’s Gary Wockner, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan. “There’s a long-term question about whether those will ever impact drinking water supplies or impact public health.”

Also on Saturday, according to the Ithaca Journal, activists in upstate New York will hold a bike rally called the “Tour de Frac” to check out areas in the Finger Lakes region that will be impacted by fracking, which involves the high-pressure injection of water, sand and often undisclosed chemicals deep into gas wells to crack open rock formations and free up more gas.

COGA president and CEO Tisha Schuller reportedly said in a recent speech. “I hate to credit the movie Gasland, but it’s really changed the conversation.”

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