Fort Collins company releases test kit for fracking contamination

Coloradoan.com
Fort Collins, CO
Bobby Magill

Salud Family Health is taking fracking seriously, and they’re using a new device created by Fort Collins-based Forston Labs to help them discover any of the oil and gas industry’s impacts to patients’ drinking water.

Ed Hendrikson started the environmental health program at Salud Family Health Centers 27 years ago, and Salud’s clinics have been testing patients’ drinking water for various contaminants ever since.

Recently, a new water quality concern has drawn Salud’s attention: Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the energy industry’s technique of injecting millions of gallons of water, toxic chemicals and sand deep into the ground to get oil and natural gas to flow to the surface.

Salud, which has a clinic in Fort Collins, is based in Fort Lupton, near the center of Weld County’s oil and gas drilling boom. When some of Salud’s patients saw a TV news report showing a Fort Lupton resident’s tapwater being lit on fire, they asked Salud staff whether their water is at risk from fracking.

“With our patient population having so much fracking around the area, you wonder if there is contamination, will that cause some problems in our community?” Hendrikson said.

Continue reading...

Please sign the Water Bill of Rights Today

TakePart.com
April, 30 2012





SIGN PETITION HERE 

Americans have the right to safe, clean and accessible drinking water at replenishable levels. And the organizations in our community - including governments, corporations and nonprofits - have the responsibility to protect our water resources for me, my family, my community and for future generations.

I believe we have certain rights to our water and that both local and national governments must do the following to properly manage our water:

1. Quality. Monitor water sources and educate Americans about the presence and effects of chemicals and contaminants in our water, and inform people about the sources of, and possible threats to, their water.

2. Conservation. Support policies that replenish and sustain our local water resources for our entire community, and measure groundwater and surface water sources to guarantee proper monitoring and usage of public resources; where possible, provide incentives to businesses and individuals to conserve water resources; promote fair and equitable allocation of resources.

3. Consumption. Inform Americans about effective ways to moderate - or minimize - their personal consumption of public water resources, including the environmental effects of consuming bottled water, and to educate people about "hidden water."

4. Infrastructure. Support polices to upgrade and protect infrastructure systems to prevent economic loss from damaged systems, promote recycled water and provide safe, clean and consistent water resources for all in our community.

About this Petition

The Water Bill of Rights is a declaration that all Americans deserve access to safe, clean drinking water.

As depicted in Participant Media's documentary, Last Call at the Oasis, the United States faces a significant crisis in terms of water quality and quantity. Our aging infrastructure, overuse of chemical pollutants, and inefficient practices are wasting our most precious resource, and we must take action now. In the coming months, we'll be delivering this declaration to members of Congress and state governors and asking them to make water issues an ongoing priority.

Sign the Bill of Rights now to add your voice to this critical discussion.

After you sign the Water Bill of Rights, share it on Twitter and Facebook and ask your friends and family to join you in signing and invite them to learn more about the critical issues surrounding our water crisis.

....................................

Please sign the petition today.

New York Should Become the First State to Ban Fracking

AlterNet
Dec 6 2011


"We believe that the pillars of the 21st century are clean water and air, alternative energy, and economic justice," Gomer said upon receiving the Advocacy Award from Common Cause.   


   

Photo Credit: mydphotos

Adelaide Park Gomer, president of the Park Foundation based in Ithaca, New York, received the Advocacy Award from Common Cause for her work fighting fracking. Gomer is as a knowledgeable and passionate defender of independent media, environmental sustainability, and higher education, as well as of democratic and transparent governance.

She and the Park Foundation have been among the staunchest supporters of the antifracking movement in New York, as the gas industry is poised to begin this dangerous, dirty, and destructive practice throughout much of the state, should Governor Andrew Cuomo give it the green light-which could happen very soon despite the overwhelming evidence that fracking poisons air, water, soil and food supply, endangers public health, and shows no long-term economic benefit.

The award was given at a banquet held in New York City on November 29, 2011. Among the guests were many grassroots activists, NGO staff members, and and independent journalists whose antifracking, pro-environmental, or reporting work has been supported by Gomer's and the Park Foundation's philanthropy. During her speech, Gomer was interrupted by applause numerous times and received two standing ovations.

This is the speech she delivered in accepting the award...

Continue reading...

How Do You Feel About Natural Gas Drilling in Your State?

How do you feel about natural gas drilling in your state? We want you to share your thoughts with us.

Powering A Nation is an ongoing journalism project, led by students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The project focuses on telling stories about U.S. energy use in innovative ways. Since 2009, the the site has launched investigative multimedia reports about issues such as coal, renewable energy, the Gulf oil spill, and energy politics.

Learn more about natural gas drilling and other places your energy comes from at poweringanation.org.

Continue reading (More Images) ...


Our Take on Frack Fluid Disclosure:

FracFocus.org is a voluntary organization that asserts incomplete information and is a cloak for trade secrets and proprietary chemicals. Do not be convinced that this is transparent, it is not. It is by design, to be a pacifier for those who have little knowledge of the law and the exemptions of the oil and gas industry. Even if you work for the industry, you are like us, not aware of what is truly happening. The difference is; you are paid to NOT KNOW.


HERE are some of the fracking chemicals used that are NOT on the fracfocus website. Dr. Colborn has led the way in identifying these secret harmful chemicals.

please comment and vote on poll below