fracking: what you need to know

Recent news coverage has drawn atten-tion to “fracking” and its many impacts. As a national leader on this issue active in more than a dozen states, Clean Water Action has developed special expertise on the risks and concerns associated with fracking.

So what exactly is fracking? It is a method of extracting under-ground natural gas and oil. Water mixed with sand and chemicals is injected into the ground at high pressure to fracture the rock around wells drilled for this purpose. The process releases the gas or oil, which is then pumped out. Fracking for oil and gas has been used for many years, but new technology now supports wells that reach as far as a mile underground. While drilling at this depth may allow companies to reach new deposits of oil and gas, it also greatly increases the risk of local water supply con-tamination in the process. Fracking presents a host of dangerous environmental and public health threats, including:

polluters’ political pressure threatens florida’s water quality and economic health

Pollution from Florida’s sewage and wastewater plants and from agriculture is causing overloads of nutrient pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The pollution causes dangerous algae blooms in estuaries, lakes, streams and canals throughout the state. These blooms kill fish, close swimming and fishing areas, and harm Florida’s tourism economy. They can also cause serious illness in people and animals exposed to the water and its fumes.

Florida’s Legislative Session usually starts in January and ends in March. Because of this year’s redistricting — a process that re-draws political district boundaries every ten years based on census data — the session may extend beyond the typical 60 days.

The Legislature’s actions in 2011 have already jeopardized the health and vitality of Florida’s communities. State lawmakers voted to slash budgets and otherwise weaken critical agencies such as the Department of Community Affairs, Department of Environmental Protection and Water Management Districts.