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GLOBAL NEWS natural gas is a green option, since it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than coal and oil. Legislators say gas extraction gener- ates much-needed jobs. Opponents point to the catastrophic environmental costs that fracking incurs, claiming it causes mini-Fukushimas every day. The most visually dramatic impact can be seen when methane leaks into the water supply, causing tap water to catch fire. This methane has also been the subject of recent studies that have undermined the conventional wisdom that natural gas is "cleaner" han coal or oil. In late 2010, the US Environmental Protection Agency EPA) issued a report stating that natural gas extracted using fracking emits greater amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, than conventionally mined gas. A study emerging from Cornell University concluded that the greenhouse gas ootprint of gas fracked out of shale is far worse than that of coal or fuel oil when analysed for the 20-year period after emission. Fracking has been most vigorously criticised for the damage caused by its waste water, which contains car- cinogens such as benzene and radioactive elements such as radi- um. Some of these chemicals are in the secret cocktail of liquids injected into the well; others come up natu- rally from underground. These tox- ins have regularly polluted rivers, streams and lakes. Some are endocrine disruptors, and have been scientifically shown to stunt growth and human reproductive capacity. Air pollution caused by natural- gas drilling has become a real prob- lem. In Wyoming, fumes containing benzene and toluene spewed out by its 27,000 wells, most of them fracked in the past five years, led to the state failing its federal require- ments for air quality. Fracking has also been blamed for damaging the bedrock of the Earth and causing seismic events. In the six months to March 2011, Arkansas was hit by 1,000 earthquakes, including a dozen over 3.0 magnitude, and one o 4.7—the highest in the state for 35 years. This extraordinary level of seis- mic activity prompted the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission to shu down two wells. Confidential documents from the EPA and gas companies chronicled how contaminated waste water is usually hauled to sewage plants no equipped to treat it, and is then dis- charged into rivers that supply drinking water, containing exorbitan levels of radioactivity. As for the gas producers, the state allows them to police themselves. Regulators do not perform unan- nounced inspections to check for signs of spills. They do not demand disclosure on what chemicals the companies use in the hundreds of millions of gallons of fracking fluids they spit underground, even though Dow Chemical has admitted supply- ing biocides—antimicrobial poi- sons—to be included in this concoc- tion. When spills happen, the compa- nies can write their own reports and lead their own clean-up efforts. (Source: The Telegraph, UK, 6 May 2on, tinyurl.com/6gmkp8x) FRACKING MADNESS Fckne. or hydraulic fracturing, involves blasting huge amounts of water, mixed with sand and often toxic chemicals, to break up shale formations thousands of feet under the earth to release natural gas. A breakthrough by Halliburton saw its use skyrocket since 2005 in the United States when the Energy Policy Act exempted fracking wells from federal regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Championed by Dick Cheney, then Vice President, this became known as the "Halliburton loophole". By the end of 2009, some 26,000 wells were being fracked in 16 American states. It's become big business, and huge momentum is now behind the industry. According to energy consultants Black & Veatch, almost half of all US electric- ity will come from burning natural gas by 2034. Supporters of fracking boast that the US has natural gas deposits equivalent to two Saudi Arabias worth of oil. This could supply the US with gas for heating, electricity generation and car fuel for up to 100 years and wean it off its energy dependence on the Middle East. Some environmentalists say that the No,., BUT T IN THE HOLLOW enescrige 7 Do You BELIEVE EARTH THEORY 2 Nov <_— a Somerville 8 * NEXUS JUNE - JULY 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com