- “Stop the Frack Attack” Rally in D.C.
Over 5,000 People Unite in DC to Protest Fracking
Stefanie Spear, www.ecowatch.org
Date: July 28, 2012
More than 5,000 people from all over the nation, and various parts of the world including Australia, united today on the West lawn of the U.S. Capitol demanding Congress take immediate action to stop fracking. After the rally that began at 2 p.m., rally participants marched for more than one hour, stopping at the headquarters of the America’s Natural Gas Alliance and American Petroleum Institute.
People impacted by fracking in their communities joined forces with 136 local and national organizations to call on Congress to Stop the Frack Attack and protect Americans from the dangerous impacts of fracking.
Rally speakers included, Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org; Josh Fox, producer of Gasland; Calvin Tillman, former mayor of Dish, Texas; Allison Chin, board president of the Sierra Club, and community members from swing states affected by fracking.
“As the increasingly bizarre weather across the planet and melting ice on Greenland makes clear, at this point we’ve got no choice but to keep fossil fuels underground. Fracking to find more is the worst possible idea,” said McKibben. “The amazing thing about this problem is that there’s a solution… We know that we can run the world on renewable energy. We know that we can run the world on the wind. And today, we have a reminder that we can run the world on the sun,” said Fox.
Today’s rally was part of the first national event to stop the frack attack. The rally is the culmination of three days of training to further escalate the movement to stop abuse by the fossil fuel industry. Large groups from swing states including Ohio, Colorado, Pennsylvania and North Carolina attended the training and rally to make sure that fracking is a key part of the upcoming election.
“Just weeks ago in North Carolina, our legislature ripped up decades of groundwater protections for rural drinking water, in order to allow fracking and invite in dirty industry campaign dollars. So we add our voices to the national movement calling on Congress to protect our homes, our drinking water and our health by repealing the 2005 oil and gas exemptions,” said Hope Taylor, a farmer near Durham and executive director of Clean Water for NC.
Rally participants have three key demands: an end to dirty and dangerous fracking, closure of the seven legal loopholes that let frackers in the oil and gas industry ignore the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, and full enforcement of existing laws to protect families and communities from the effects of fracking.
“It is time for us to come together as a people and let the law makers that work for us know that we are tired of being run over by the out-of-control oil and gas industry,” said Tillman.
While at the headquarters of America’s Natural Gas Alliance, rally organizers delivered six jugs of contaminated water in hazmat suits and then headed to the American Petroleum Institute where a 20-foot-high mock oil rig was smashed to the ground.
This event was a launching point for the movement, and will be followed by events in Albany, NY on Aug. 25, Philadelphia on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, and subsequent events in other states and regions affected by fracking.
Note Added: The WV Sierra Club provided motor coach (bus) transportation from Morgantown, used by 41 marchers for this event. A number of other West Virginians were in attendance including many from the Doddridge County Watershed Association.
To see additional photos from the Stop the Frack Attack rally and march, visit EcoWatch’s Facebook page.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
—– Original Message —–
From: Rick Humphreys
Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2012 10:42 PM
Subject: News Form Our Nations Capitol
My daughter Kelly Humphreys, 2012 North Marion graduate and future Fairmont State University student spoke to hundreds of concerned citizens gathered on the lawn at our nation’s capitol this afternoon. People from all over the nation and the world gathered in front of the capitol to hear about the affects of hydraulic fracturing. Afterward the participants marched through downtown Washington, D.C., in protest.
The time to act is now. We must remember our Rights so we can demand them.
Hi, I’m Kelly Humphreys from West Virginia. I’m deeply concerned about health and environmental issues but I’m here today to talk about the violation of landowner rights.
In 2001, my family bought 100 acres. In 2006, without our consent, the West Virginia DEP gave a gas company permission to damage our property–They took 20 acres.
Our family was forced into Court. We won a judgment for timber, water, and the unreasonable and unnecessary damage. We’ve never approved or been paid for the 20 acres they took yet we still have to pay taxes on it.
I was born during my dad’s 27 year service in the Army. Our family returned to West Virginia to build our Dream Home but the gas company’s invasion destroyed our American Dream. They didn’t drill one well; they drilled four. In court, they said they were coming back to drill for shale gas.
My generation may never truly know what it means to have the right to own and possess land as envisioned by our forefathers.
There was another time when rights were violated; when slavery was allowed and women could not vote. Now’s the time to revisit the 14th Amendment which states “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. ” Now’s the time we tell government, “We demand clean water, air, and the right to be secure in our person, place and things.”
Now’s the time to Stop the Frack Attack before it’s too late.
I am impressed by this piece of work, Great post.
The march in Washington does strike some concern for me because to say that the industry is altogether wrong would be inaccurate. I myself as a oil/gas vet am not a fan of hydraulic fracture only because of the vast amount of water it takes per frac-stage. Then once used that flowback of water is contaminated and cant be used. The good news for those of us that understand the need for energy independance is there are better enviormentally effecient methods. The problem with this is that the industry in a whole is somewhat conservative and therefor wont take the chance on investing into these methods with low gas prices. A catch 22, but if there was a company that realized the potential in greener propane/foam fracks. A company that would utilize and therefor refine these methods, then it would go from 70% recovery to 100% and would pay off. The days of generic drilling are done and the level of accountability must be there to ensure our childrens future. We must find a sense of balance between bottom line and the enviorment. Hopefully with technology and accountability natural gas can be the greener energy and with this our economy will improve also.