TO DO: Fracking/Federal Land

Source: Earth Justice

https://secure.earthjustice.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1471&utm_source=Convio&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=e3fllf60k8.app333b#startform

Don't Abandon Families On The Frontlines Of Fracking

Five years ago, not too many people had heard of fracking. But the reality is that this destructive form of oil and gas extraction has been going on for years on federally owned lands in the West.

The families who live in and around these federal lands were the first to warn the rest of us about problems associated with fracking: the polluted air, poisoned water, sick children, dying animals.

We have a chance to help protect these families from fracking on federally owned lands. But we need your help.

The oil and gas industry has pressured the Obama administration to weaken proposed rules for fracking on federally owned lands. Act now to push for strong protections.

We have one last chance to take a stand. Show the oil and gas industry that even as we work to keep fracking out of special places and vulnerable communities, we can’t abandon the families being forced to live alongside this hazardous industry right now.

Tell the Obama administration to protect families and adopt strong protections for fracking on federally owned lands.

TAKE ACTION TODAY: Make your voice heard! To send your letter, enter your information below and click on the "Submit Comment" button.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON PRIVACY: This is an official Bureau of Land Management request for public comments. All information submitted with your comment (name, address, etc.) may be placed in the public record for this proceeding. Do NOT submit confidential or sensitive information. To comment directly, visit Regulations.gov.

SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO:

• U.S. Bureau of Land Management

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YOUR MESSAGE:

I write today in response to the rule proposed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management governing hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," on public lands. The current proposal out for public comment is severely inadequate, and in its current form will fail to protect either public health or the environment.

This controversial oil and gas development technique--in which drillers blast millions of gallons of chemically treated water into the earth to force gas from underground deposits--has been linked to air and water pollution and public health problems. In its current form, the proposal fails to stem these problems.

In its latest proposal, the BLM fails to propose adequate well construction and integrity standards. A key test to ensure drinking water sources are properly isolated from the well was dropped. Now a test to ensure proper cementing will be required on only one "type well" and the data from that well used to approve others. Such a procedure invites companies to develop one model well and then to cut corners on the rest. Industry should have to demonstrate the integrity of every well.

The draft requires companies to disclose chemical constituents in fracking fluids, after fracking is complete. Disclosure should occur both before and after fracking, in order to give nearby communities time to establish baseline water quality and then test and monitor water supplies for any fracking-related water pollution. States including Wyoming already require pre-fracking disclosure, so the BLM proposal should go at least this far.

The proposal also signals the use of FracFocus as the tool for disclosure. In its current form, FracFocus is insufficient. It's an industry-funded database that fails to allow users to search across forms or aggregate data from multiple wells. To ensure data is complete, adequate and available, the BLM should have its own website for this information reporting, complete with the ability to search and aggregate data.

The president promised in his State of the Union that this country's gas drilling boom would not come at the expense of public health. As it stands now, the proposed rule fails to meet that promise.

Dear Bureau of Land Management,

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City, State ZIP]