NRDC is the nation's most effective environmental action organization, using law, science and the support of 1.3 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things.
EWG is a government watchdog that uses the power of information to protect public health and the environment. EWG specializes in providing research-driven resources to consumers and lawmakers while simultaneously pushing for national policy change.
Earthworks' OGAP is the only program in the United States with the sole mission of working with tribal, urban and rural communities to protect their homes and the environment from the devastating impacts of oil and gas development.
Earthjustice is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth, and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment. Earthjustice works through the courts on behalf of citizen groups, scientists, and other parties to ensure government agencies and private interests follow the law.
Founded in 1966 by residents along the Hudson River, Riverkeeper advocates for standards for waterway and watershed protection. The group is currently leading the charge to ban natural gas drilling in the NYC Watershed.
Catskill Mountainkeeper is a community based environmental advocacy organization, dedicated to creating a flourishing sustainable economy in the Catskills and preserving and protecting the area's long term health.
This grassroots group in Damascus, PA seeks to protect the Upper Delaware River Basin and beyond from the threats posed by deep-shale gas extraction.
NYH2O, Inc. is a nonprofit advocacy group based in New York City that is dedicated to protecting New York's water resources from the threat posed by the gas extraction industry.
S.1215 / H.R. 2766: Sponsored by Bill Casey D-PA in the U.S. Senate and Diana DeGette, D-Colo. in the U.S. House of Representatives, these twin bills "amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to: (1) repeal the exemption from restrictions on underground injection of fluids near drinking water sources granted to hydraulic fracturing operations under such Act; and (2) require oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations." For more information, check out this blog from ProPublica.
According to the EPA, "the 2005 Energy Policy Act excluded hydraulic fracturing of coalbed methane from SDWA [Safe Drinking Water Act] jurisdiction. No other state has been required to regulate the practice under the UIC [Underground Injection Control] Program."
Enacted in 1974, the SWDA ensures the quality of Americans' drinking water. The Act authorized the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) to set standards for drinking water to protect against both naturally-occurring and man-made contaminants that may be found in drinking water. The Act also allowed the EPA to develop minimum federal requirements for Underground Injection Control.
Enacted in 1972 as the first comprehensive national clean water law, the goal of the CWA was to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters."
Protecting New York's Air, Land, Water and People - What's the Hydro-Fracking Rush? - by The Citizens Campaign, January, 2010
Chemicals in Natural Gas Operations - Spreadsheets and Summaries by State - by The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Founding President Dr. Theo Colburn, April, 2009
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, 1962
Hydraulic Fracturing "Fracking" - Hydraulic fracturing is the injection of fluid under pressure to facilitate the production of oil and natural gas.
Produced Water - The briny solution contained in reservoirs of oil and gas is known as "formation water." During drilling, a mixture of oil, gas, and formation water is pumped to the surface. The water is separated from the oil and gas into tanks or pits, where it is referred to as "produced water."
Source: The Environmental Protection Agency
Summer Series 2010
2010 Sundance Film Festival Award-Winner
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