This is a huge win for Californians threatened by
fracking pollution.
These bills will protect the air we breathe and the water
we drink from cancer-causing chemicals and other fracking pollutants.
That’s why a fracking moratorium is supported by nurses, farmers and so
many others concerned about our state’s health and environment.
Thank you to all my friends at Stop Fracking California State
so proud of us
Purtroppo non ho molto tempo - sono stanca morta - ma questa e' una cosa bellissima. Da dietro le quinte, e per quel che posso ho fatto anche io la mia parte contro il fracking qui in California e ne sono felice. Questa moratoria non e' la soluzione finale al problema, perche' e' solo uno stop temporaneo finche' "non si fanno altri studi" e finche' "non si conoscono tutte le conseguenza del fracking", ma considerato quanto potenti sono i lobbisti del petrolio, anche qui in California, e' un piccolo miracolo.
Piu di tutto sono contenta perche' e' il processo democratico che ha funzionato, e perche' i mesi e mesi di proteste, di incontri con il pubblico, di proiezioni di Gasland, hanno avuto frutti e chi governa non ha potuto ignorarli. Ci sono andata anche io agli incontri quando potevo - qui a Santa Monica, a Culver City, a downtown, a Baldwin Hills - e la cosa che mi ha sempre colpito e' stata l'educazione ed il rispetto che chi stava dall'altra parte (i politici) avevano per il cittadino medio.
Altro che il dito medio di Gasparri.
Ha funzionato cosi: che per tutto il 2011-2012 il cosiddetto DOGGR - Department of Oil and Gas and Geothermal Resources - ha organizzato eventi in tutta la California, da nord a sud. Una prima presentazione da parte delle autorita' e poi a TUTTI quelli che lo chiedevano - a TUTTI - sono stati concessi 2 minuti per parlare ai "politici" e per fare domande. Non aveva importanza quale fosse il loro titolo, il loro ruolo, giovani o vecchi - tutti quelli che lo chiedevano, in fila uno dietro l'altro, hanno avuto 2 minuti. E in quei due minuti, il 99% delle persone ha detto che non voleva fracking in California e ha posto domande difficili ai "politici". Le serate finivano quando finivano le domande.
Non hanno potuto fare a meno di ascoltarci.
Ecco il testo del comunicato stampa con il quale le leggi statali contro il fracking sono state approvate: AB sta per Assembly Bill - sono la 1301, la 1323, la AB 649. Richard Bloom era l'ex sindaco di Santa Monica.
La prossima decisione - se fare fracking o no - e' rimandata al 2019.
Three Fracking Moratorium Bills Win Key Vote in California Legislature
A.B. 1301, A.B. 1323, A.B. 649
Pass Assembly Natural Resources
Committee Despite Oil Industry Pressure
Richard Bloom’s A.B. 1301, Holly Mitchell’s A.B. 1323 and Adrin Nazarian’s A.B. 649 would place a moratorium on fracking while threats posed by the controversial practice to California’s environment and public health are studied.
Oil and gas wells have been fracked in at least nine California counties without fracking-specific regulation or even monitoring by state oil and gas officials. Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, employs huge volumes of water mixed with sand and toxic chemicals — including known carcinogens — to blast open rock formations and release previously inaccessible fossil fuels.
A.B. 1301 — sponsored by the Center for Biological Diversity, Food & Water Watch and Clean Water Action — is supported by the California Nurses Association, Breast Cancer Action, Family Farm Defenders and more than 100 other health, labor, environmental and social justice organizations.
A.B. 649, A.B. 1301 and A.B. 1323 will next go to the Assembly Appropriations Committee
“This is a huge win for Californians threatened by fracking pollution,” said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity. “These bills will protect the air we breathe and the water we drink from cancer-causing chemicals and other fracking pollutants. That’s why a fracking moratorium is supported by nurses, farmers and so many others concerned about our state’s health and environment.”
Fracking is linked to air and water pollution and releases large amounts of methane, a dangerously potent greenhouse gas. About 25 percent of fracking chemicals could cause cancer, according to scientists with the Endocrine Disruption Exchange.
“The Natural Resources Committee sided with the people of California yesterday when it voted to advance legislation that places a moratorium on fracking,” said Kristin Lynch, Pacific region director for Food & Water Watch. “From the food that California farmers grow today to the long-term future of our state’s water resources and air, California’s economy and vital resources hang in the balance if we allow fracking to continue in California.”
The huge volume of water used and contaminated by fracking is a critical issue for drought-ridden states like California. A new report from the Western Organization of Resource Councils estimates that fracking consumes about 7 billion gallons of water in four western states where fracking has become widespread. The report, titled “Gone for Good,” warns that water consumption by the oil and gas industry “simply cannot be sustained.”
“This vote is an important step in the effort to protect California from the dangers of fracking,” said Andrew Grinberg of Clean Water Action. “This committee gets it that the state needs to slow down and assess the many threats to our air, water, climate and communities of extreme oil extraction.”
Fracking also pollutes the air by releasing dangerous petroleum hydrocarbons, including benzene, toluene and xylene. It can also increase levels of ground-level ozone, a key risk factor for asthma and other respiratory illness. Air pollution caused by fracking contributes to the risk of asthma, cancer, and other health problems in people living near fracked wells, according to a Colorado School of Public Health study.
