Social Justice Saturday: What the Frack

While I was tabling an event for our local anti-uranium mining/milling group, I talked to a number of people who pointed out that the uranium propaganda - promise of lots of jobs for an economically depressed area - is similar to that of fracking.  Fracking - the technique used to extract small amounts of natural gas and oil from deep within our earth's crust - takes place in poorer areas because those communities are desperate for jobs, any jobs.  However, just as with uranium mining, these jobs come with serious risks.  Here's a brief video that, while I understand doesn't get some of the details right, (see Grist's article), pretty much covers the basics:


Fracking requires a lot of resources and causes ground water contamination, especially in poor areas, in order for us to temporarily get cheap power.  Once again, low income individuals and communities pay the price, both environmentally and physically, for our consumptive lifestyle.  More people need to understand that this is an issue that, while temporarily being out of sight, out of mind for wealthier communities, will come to haunt everyone.