In case there isn’t enough negative publicity surrounding fracking, left-leaning nonprofit Environment North Carolina released its own report on the controversial drilling practice Thursday, dubbing the drilling an “environmental nightmare.”
“In state after state, fracking polluted our air, water and landscapes,” said Liz Kazal, a field associate for the Raleigh-based nonprofit. “If fracking is allowed in North Carolina, this is the kind of damage in store for waters like the Deep River.”
The drilling, viewed as an economic boon by proponents despite its speculative job-creating numbers, has been dogged by claims that it’s responsible for water and air pollution, as well as increased seismic activity. See a recent report that fracking wastewater is to blame for earthquakes in one Ohio town.
Environment North Carolina, which has long opposed the drilling, describes the report from its Research and Policy Center as the “first of its kind to measure the footprint of fracking damage nationally to date—including toxic wastewater, water use, chemical use, air pollution, land damage and global warming emissions.”
Among the report’s claims, the nonprofit says fracking is to blame for:
1. 280 billion gallons of toxic wastewater in 2012
2. 450,000 tons of air pollution produced in one year
3. 250 billion gallons of fresh water used since 2005
4. 360,000 acres of land “degraded” since 2005
5. 100 million metric tons of global warming pollution.
Download Environment North Carolina’s full report, which reads like a Stephen King novel for environmentalists, here.
State officials are currently crafting regulations for drilling in North Carolina, which could begin as soon as 2015.
State Sen. Mike Woodard, a Durham Democrat, gets in on the frack-bashing in Environment North Carolina’s release. “The dangers detailed in this report reiterate that a few short months of energy are simply not worth jeopardizing our water, our air and our rural landscapes,” Woodard said. “In short, fracking is a bad deal for Durham and for North Carolina.”
Official estimates say North Carolina has enough gas to power the state for about five years. Drilling is most likely to take place in central portions of the state such as Chatham, Lee and Moore counties.
Check back with Indy Week for pending reactions from drilling supporters and opponents.
