Fracking Crazy

A couple of weeks ago there was a mild tremor in Southern Ontario because of a small earthquake in Ohio. Now you might not think of Ohio as a hotbed of seismic activity but there have been a number of small quakes in Ohio and Pennsylvania and increasingly experts are asking whether fracking is the reason. What is fracking you might ask? It is the method of oil extraction whereby water and chemicals are forced under high pressure into underground rock formations. It is the short form for hydraulic fracturing. Fracking allows hard to access pockets of oil to be exploited and as oil and gas becomes harder to reach the process is increasingly attractive.

No matter that people who live near fracking sites are convinced that the chemicals end up in their drinking water and that both humans and animals are getting sick from gas releases into the air. Or that there are these pesky earthquakes even in areas that have been viewed as seismically stable.

It does seem as though the assault on creation for the sake of obtaining fossil fuels is unending. If people are opposed to pipelines crossing sensitve terrain then they are labelled "radical environmentalists." Drilling in prime fishing grounds is not a problem. And fracking is increasingly common. The psalm may say "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" but it does seems that corporate oil has usurped that role.

Any comments?