OBceans gather in Saratoga Park against Gov Brown’s fracking support. Screen capture of 8CBS video of protest.
Trying to awaken San Diegans and other Californians to the dangers of fracking – the controversial oil-extraction process, a dozen protesters gathered in Saratoga Park on Saturday, August 1st. They joined protests in more than a dozen cities around California – all aimed at protesting the governor’s support for the hydraulic process.
Sponsored by the California based Courage Campaign, Californians Against Fracking and Rootskeeper, organizers also gathered signatures on a petition to be sent to Gov. Brown.
Nicole Piell-Moelter, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability at Akamai Technologies, told the media:
“We believe the risks of fracking to Californians far exceed the benefits. The oil and gas companies reap all of the royalties and revenue from oil, whereas the residents are exposed to potential earthquakes…air contamination, water contamination. We want to educate [people] about the solutions, the alternatives to oil in California, which is electric vehicles, energy efficiency, fuel efficiency and bio fuel.”
“We believe there are chemicals in the fracking liquids that come out to the ground that are being sprayed on crops in California that are known to be carcinogenics.”
“If this doesn’t stop there could be the potential for…contamination of our aquifers, which is not a great thing in this drought. We really want to make this an uplifting experience. We really want to make sure Californians are educated and making informed decisions, and also understanding what the alternatives are.”
There are genuine concerns about fracking damaging groundwater resources. The recent findings of the California Council on Science and Technology and Berkeley Lab Release Scientific Assessment of Hydraulic Fracturing in California states that the possibility for contamination of groundwater due to the use of hazardous chemicals in fracking is very high. They cite the potential for health problems, habitat disruption, and oil spills, and air pollution.
The study also found that state regulatory officials lack proper data to adequately investigate potential problems, and more research and monitoring is needed. Fortunately, more than 150,000 people in California have signed a petition urging Governor Brown to stop fracking and oil extraction, according to those at the rally.
News sources: CBS8 and 7SanDiego
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