Where Vintage Never Gets Old...
Gas & Oil... "Fracking"
Scene from 'Gasland'. Yes, that water is on fire.
http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2010/06/23/FrackingFilm/?utm_source=fe...
The film exposes the major human health and environmental impacts of an extraction method used by the natural gas industry called hydraulic fracturing (or "fracking").And by the looks of the PR attack campaign launched today, it looks like Gasland is starting to get under the skin of the oil and gas industry.
I guess the dinosaurs in the dirty fuel lobby don't like videos of people who can light their tap water on fire after their wells are contaminated with methane gas, like this:
Of course the gas companies say this is all perfectly natural and has nothing to do with their operations, but Gasland documents the many stories of people whose drinking water is just fine until the gas companies come along and start pumping all sorts of toxic chemicals into the ground in an extraction process called hydraulic fracking.
In fact, I have heard this same story for years and as far north as Alberta, Canada where ranchers who have had natural gas drilling operations forced on to their properties can now light their water on fire. Not to mention the chemical burns their children get in the shower or the water irrigation shed that blew up in a ball of flames.All perfectly natural indeed.
Shadowy spinners
Most of the PR push-back on Gasland appears to be coming from an oil and gas lobby group calling itself "Energy In Depth" whose anonymous website lists other oil and gas lobby groups, like American Exploration and Production Council, the Indiana Oil and Gas Association and the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, as their members.While the members of Energy in Depth might
be listed, who is actually running the day-to-day operations and mounting the attack on Gasland is a bit of mystery. No contact information, phone number,
mailing address or anything else telling us who is organizing the group can be found on the website.
A little digging, finds that the website is registered to a Washington, D.C. public relations firm called FD Americas Public Affairs (formerly FD Dittus Communications). FD's clients include other oil and gas
lobby groups with one in particular that stands out, the American EnergyAlliance, run by former Republican staffers Eric Creighton, Kevin Kennedy and Laura Henderson. The Energy Alliance ran an "Energy Town Hall" bus tour last summer attacking the Obama administration's Clean Energy and Security legislation.
As FD explains on its website:
"we have managed successful public affairs campaigns for clients on complex energy policy issues
such as climate change, increased energy exploration and production,
carbon capture and storage, electricity deregulation, natural gas
prices, renewable energy development, and business and consumer energy
efficiency."An email that was forwarded to me gives a little further information on who's behind the PR push.
The email was sent by the Senior Public Affairs Representative for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation -- one of the world's
largest independent oil and gas companies -- saying that the company
is:"actively engaged with groups like America's Natural Gas Alliance, Energy In Depth and the
American Petroleum Institute to educate the public, government officials
and other stakeholders about the errors in the film, and the truth
about natural gas."Looks like we're tipping!
In public relations, it is always a bit of a tricky decision about when to begin countering your opponents' message.
If you hit back too early, you may give the story "oxygen" and inflame a controversy that may have gone away if ignored. But if you wait too long to counter your opponent you risk jumping in too late and losing the war of words. The trick is to watch for the tipping point. Looks like the tipping point for Gasland's
opponents was last night's HBO screening, so watch out because we're all about to subjected to more spin than the teacup ride at Disneyland.
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Tags: HBO, drilling, fracking, gas, gasland, illness, oil, poision, pollution, toxins
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by ElsiesAttic-Admin on -
To sum it up.... basically what is happeneing is that there are deposits of Natural Gas all over the country and the Oil & Gas companies are drilling for it... no problem.
BUT........ the method they use is called fracking.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasland
Fracking is a process which breaks open the rock and to keep the gas from igniting when they drill, they use this water chemical slurry mix which contains 500 toxic chemicals.
These chemicals seep into the water tables, stream and rivers and are causing untold damage.
The people who live near these drilling sites have gas mixed in with their water and can literally set their water on fire.
The people, the animals and the ecosystem are dying slow deaths.
Why this has not become the top news story is beyond me. But big business runs the media too... so it will take small independent film makers and grass roots efforts to make the public aware of this and get these corporations to put people and the the planet above their profit margin.
Thank Dick Cheney for this.... since he deregulated the industry which he is part of... Haliburton... so that the Clean Air & Water act regulations DO NOT apply to natural gas wells.... thanks Dick.
Gets off soap box... -
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Permalink Reply by ElsiesAttic-Admin on
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PBS show and interview with film maker
http://video.pbs.org/video/1452296560/
Website to movie
http://gaslandthemovie.com/ -
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Permalink Reply by Another Time on -
I'm glad to see this topic here as we are in a huge battle here in NY ... as are other areas in PA and so many more state.
There is so much to say about this very insane and unsafe technology! I have many many links on my Facebook page (personal page) and I urge you to stop in and read and act now! For NY'rs - it is imperative that you write to Gov Cuomo and Joe Mertens at DEC to say - Stop now before it is too late.
Fracking will destroy our beautiful state and our healthy future. And it will not provide the golden egg that so many energy companies are trying to hand us.
It is a long day today - I'll be back with more links, addresses, etc. Many are already on my page (above).
Education is Key on this topic. Read. It is a global concern and a national tragedy. But right now we are forced to deal with this state by state against a very wealthy and powerful industry. Please become involved.
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Permalink Reply by Another Time on
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I'd like to share information I recently received - especially directing it to my NY readers. This may seem at first to be an odd place to be talking about political action needs, but in fact this issue affects every single aspect of our future lives ... and generations to follow. So reaching as many people as possible is critical!
Anna, r-cause.com, has provided excellent links for quick actions we can take in NY. Every voice is crucial.
Then, stretch this to the Federal level of Congress and the President. Fracking is not a state issue alone as the industry has tried to make it. It is national. It is global. Please do whatever you can to make our governments spend precious dollars on healthy, renewal energy sources and not toxic destruction and cleanup!
What to do now for NY?1. If you haven't already, please sign Walter Hang's (Toxics Targeting) letter to Governor Cuomo asking for the withdrawal of the flawed SGEIS: http://www.toxicstargeting.com/MarcellusShale/cuomo/coalition_letter/20112. Call the Governor and help us reach a million fracking letters: http://www.amillionfrackingletters.com/3. Submit your own comments to the DEC, or if you've already done so, write another one! You can send as many as you have time for but just one topic per letter. See attachments.4. For letter writing help, listen to this 7 minute tutorial by Chip Northrup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deNiK_nl1jQ5. For inspiration, we invite you to read some powerful letters posted on our website:6. For those who haven't yet submitted comments, please feel free to peruse this page: http://www.r-cause.net/dec-sgeis-2011-flaws-and-omissions.html7. For still more information, Chip Northrup and others have created an invaluable guide to the shortcomings and flaws in the SGEIS: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=2011_SGEIS_Flaws(NY)#Get_the_SGEIS.218. As a heads up, attached is the list of categories the DEC offers for web-based comments- most are technical but #1 and #25 allow the non-scientists a way to submit comments. Remember: one topic per letter! (sorry...no attachemnt here)9. And here's the link to the DEC's website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/75370.html10. Continue learning - attend fracking forums and support other communities' efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of fracking: http://www.r-cause.net/events.html and forward this information to others. -
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Permalink Reply by Another Time on
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back again......... because it is so important to reach people everywhere - in NY and so many more places!!
I started a new blog last week which is pretty much dedicated to the topic of fracking as we fight against it here in NY. If you are a NY resident (or anywhere) there are many great links to read, research and become actively engaged. I invite you to follow along - and join this very important movement to stop fracking!
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Permalink Reply by Another Time on
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Tomorrow is Jan 23 and a very major day in Albany NY. We are having a very large gathering of Stop Fracking groups and citizens to lobby our Assembly and Senate. I'll be on the bus!!
Please hold us in your hearts to be heard, strong, and successful!
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