Said Chirag Bhakta, California Director for Food & Water Watch, “Californians know that fracking is a harmful practice that puts all of us in danger and corrupts our environment. And fracking does not affect all Californian’s equally: much of this infrastructure is located in areas where people are already experiencing the worst of the climate crisis. By supporting a full ban on fracking and starting more aggressively moving toward our future free from fossil fuels, we can ensure that all of our neighbors have access to clean air, fresh water and a livable future.”�?/p>

CalGEM’s is set to hold a virtual public hearing on this ban on March 26, and the public comment period closes the day after. 

The post 1000+ Individuals Call on Gov. Newsom for Fracking Ban to Include All Fracking Methods  appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

“Water is not a bargaining chip to dangle in front of families struggling to pay their bills. New York City has had a de facto ban on household water shutoffs for 15 years, helping families keep their homes and protecting access to clean water, no matter the ability to pay. Mayor Adams�?latest move is a significant departure from this policy and a dangerous one. No New Yorker should lose access to water.�?/p>

The post Mayor Adams Threatens Water Shutoffs in NYC; A First In 15 Years appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

Alex Beauchamp, Northeast Region DIrector at Food & Water Watch, said:

“We applaud the Senate for moving swiftly to strengthen our statewide ban on fracking, and call on Governor Hochul to sign the Co2 fracking ban into law immediately. Fracking of any kind is counter to New York’s Climate Act, and a danger to a livable future. Fossil fuel profiteers who argue otherwise are only selling snake oil, in a last ditch attempt to profit off of climate chaos.�?/p>

Most of the same impacts associated with the entire drilling and fracking process apply whether water or CO2 is used, and scientific research overwhelmingly finds risks and harms associated with these approaches. After studying the health and environmental impacts for years, in 2014 New York State concluded that drilling and fracking pose significant risks to people’s health, air quality, drinking water, and the environment. Since then, hundreds more peer-reviewed studies further confirm and extend those findings. 

The use of CO2 to try to get around the state’s fracking ban does not avoid the dangers and harms associated with the process. For example, as countless scientific studies about drilling and fracking demonstrate, induced fractures are not controllable and could cause the CO2 in addition to heavy metals and naturally occurring radioactivity in the shale to migrate, threatening to contaminate our drinking water. Additionally, high pressure CO2 is itself very dangerous, and ruptured pipelines can result in asphyxiation and convulsions. This was tragically illustrated in Satartia, Mississippi in 2020 when a CO2 pipeline exploded, leading to mass CO2 poisoning that left 45 people hospitalized. Additionally, high pressure CO2 injection underground poses significant risk of earthquakes, corrosion of well casings, and acidification of groundwater.

Senator Lea Webb said, “We know that fracking proposes significant health and environmental problems that threaten our communities. Over a decade ago, our State historically led the nation and protected public health and the environment by banning high volume hydraulic fracking. And now, an out-of-state company wants to lease land from my constituents in Broome County to inject carbon dioxide into the shale. We must take action to combat the use of CO2 to prevent any erosion of the progress our state has made in preventing fracking. That is why I have introduced this piece of legislation with my colleagues Assemblymember Kelles, Assemblywoman Lupardo and Senator Krueger to strengthen our fracking laws by banning the use of CO2 before it causes damage to our health and environment.”�?/p>

Julia Walsh, Director of Frack Action, said, “Thanks to the New York Senate and Assembly for their tremendous leadership in passing the bill to ban carbon dioxide drilling and fracking, which is vital to protecting our drinking water, air, and climate. Thanks especially to the sponsors, Senator Webb and Assemblymember Kelles, for bringing forth this bill and getting it through the legislature. Now we call Governor Hochul to swiftly sign it into law.”

Actor and director Mark Ruffalo, a long-time environmental advocate in New York, said, “I’m so proud to be a New Yorker today as the NYS Legislature has now passed an important bill to close a loophole in the fracking ban law to include a prohibition on using carbon dioxide. We must stop this new experimental form of gas extraction from polluting our state. I urge Governor Hochul to quickly sign this vital legislation into law to protect our health and environment.”

“We know fracking wreaks havoc on our health and environment. That’s why, a decade ago, New York led the nation in banning high-volume hydraulic fracking. Now, to circumvent the law, the fossil fuel industry wants to use carbon dioxide to extract natural gas,” said Rich Schrader, Director, New York Government Affairs at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Carbon dioxide fracking would pose the same threats to our climate, water, and health as hydraulic fracking �?and the state legislature made the right choice to prohibit using carbon dioxide to drill and extract natural gas and oil.”

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant said, “Thanks to the NYS Senate and Assembly, for their tremendous leadership in protecting our public health and environment by passing this bill to close the loophole in the fracking ban law to stop the dangerous proposal to drill and frack using carbon dioxide in New York State. Thanks especially to Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Senator Webb, and Senator Krueger for getting the bill through the senate, Assembly Speaker Heastie, Assemblymember Kelles, and Assemblymember Lupardo for getting it through the Assembly, and all the Senators and Assemblymembers who voted for this critical legislation. I urge Governor Hochul to sign the bill to ensure New Yorkers and our environment are protected.”

Ravo Root, a community organizer for Citizen Action of New York who is based in Binghamton, said, “Those of us who live in the Southern Tier say no thanks to CO2 fracking. We know what CO2 fracking means for our communities:damage to our precious land and water and health problems for local residents �?all to provide a quick buck for an out of state company. We thank Assemblymember Kelles and Senator Webb for their tireless efforts to get this bill passed, and urge the Governor to sign this common sense climate measure into law.�?/p>

“CO2 Fracking (the proposal to use supercritical carbon dioxide �?CO2 pressurized to enter a fluid state at certain temperatures) to extract gas in New York threatens the safety of lands and waters previously protected from similar subsurface hazards by both regulatory and legislative bans,�?said Kathy Nolan, a physician and research director for Catskill Mountainkeeper. “This new legislation protects drinking water resources and prevents a false reliance on untested technologies as we work diligently to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The New York Assembly and Senate have seen the wisdom of adopting a far simpler and superior approach: now Governor Hochul must join them and sign this ban, keeping difficult to reach shale gas deposits sequestered safely underground.�?/p>

Biologist Sandra Steingraber, PhD, Concerned Health Professionals of New York, said, “The dispatch by which the New York Assembly and Senate outlawed the untested practice of CO2 fracking reflects the supreme idiocy of Southern Tier Solution’s plans for our state. Swapping in pressurized CO2 for water doesn’t make fracking any less dangerous. Indeed, liquified CO2 is a terrible poison that asphyxiates people and turns groundwater into acid. Our legislature has affirmed that there is zero reason to run this bad chemistry experiment in our Southern Tier counties. All eyes now turn to Governor Hochul for her signature. 

“We applaud the Senate for its expedient passage of this vital legislation,�?said Joseph Campbell, President of Seneca Lake Guardian. “The legislature has agreed: giving the fossil fuel industry another bite of the apple on an untested, potentially dangerous form of extraction would be a grave mistake.  Now, we’re calling on Governor Hochul to sign the bill without delay.�?/p>

Roger Downs, Conservation Director for the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter said, “The Sierra Club applauds Senator Webb  and the NYS Majority for their leadership in joining the NYS Assembly in passing a CO2 Fracking ban,  understanding that this latest gas extraction loophole will most certainly drain limited DEC resources and divert us from our nation leading climate goals unless we close it. It is now time for Governor Hochul to follow suit and protect New Yorkers from this ill-conceived plan that was not anticipated with the original fracking ban, but shares so many of the same disastrous environmental impacts.�?/p>

“Congratulations to the NYS Legislature for its wise decision to ban CO2 fracking,�?said Doug Couchon, Co-Founder of People for a Healthy Environment. “This action, if signed into law by Governor Hochul, will prevent the dangerous and unsafe industrialization of New York’s Southern Tier by a Texas based corporation using an unproven method. Let’s let the Governor know we want her to sign this legislation�?/p>

“We are grateful to the Senate and Assembly for passing this key legislation, and for the leadership of Senator Webb and Assemblymember Kelles,�?said Sophie Patka, Climate & Legislative Associate with Environmental Advocates NY. “The ball is now in the Governor’s court to quickly sign this into law and ban CO2 Fracking once and for all.�?/p>

Background:

View photos and video from the March 5 rally in the Capitol here: //drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1HVyx_IW9fXl5_Bw5_M6Q5URcYv61laq3 

More than 90 environmental, public health, and community organizations previously released a letter to Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, and DEC Commissioner Seggos calling for a ban on CO2 fracking. In addition to the public health and environmental dangers, the proposed plan to transport waste CO2 to New York from other states, drill and inject high-pressure CO2 to release sequestered methane, and build new gas-fired power plants is reckless and would perpetuate reliance on fossil fuels. 

The post NYS Senate Passes CO2 Drilling & Fracking Ban; Advocates Applaud Legislature appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

Food & Water Watch Senior Researcher Oakley Shelton-Thomas said:

“Southern Tier Solutions�?desperate scheme to bring fracking back to a region where it is illegal is beyond absurd �?it’s dangerous. A brand new company proposing an unproven technology across hundreds of thousands of acres is enough to raise eyebrows. Add to that the fact that this scam would put thousands of New Yorkers at risk of mass poisonings, water contamination, and earthquakes, and it becomes a serious threat necessitating immediate action. Governor Hochul and the NYS Legislature must ban CO₂ fracking now.�?/p>

• Concentrated CO₂ rapidly displaces oxygen and can result in asphyxiation and mass poisonings that can be fatal. Impacts can be felt up to two miles away.
• CO₂ fracking wastewater potentially threatens drinking water with chemicals and radioactive materials that can cause cancer; disrupt the endocrine system; affect the nervous, immune, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems; and affect sensory organs.
• CO₂ fracking is more likely to cause earthquakes than hydraulic fracking.
• The scale of Southern Tier Solutions�?proposal would reduce quality of life through increased truck traffic and the buildout of multiple noisy compressor stations.
• CO₂ fracking would require 44 percent more energy than hydraulic fracking, creating significant new climate pollution. Food & Water Watch finds that powering direct air capture with natural gas, as Southern Tier Solutions proposes to do, emits more greenhouse gas than is “captured�?by a factor of more than 3:1.

The post New Research Details CO2 Fracking Dangers appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

The post CO<sub>;2</sub> Fracking: A Recipe for Disaster appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

Today, more than 20 groups and hundreds of Pennsylvania residents sent in public comments asking the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to end predatory water system pricing. 

The groups asked the PUC to mandate a reasonableness ratio of 1.0 to stop predatory water system pricing and prevent the most excessive rate hikes. In allowing inflated acquisition prices, Act 12 incentivized the sale of healthy municipal utilities, as sales are driven by large purchase prices �?not system improvements. Notably, none of the 22 sales under Act 12 involved a distressed utility. 

“Because of the large sale prices allowed by Act 12, municipalities have been incentivized to sell healthy well-run utilities,�?said Peter Mrozinski, co-founder of Keep Water Affordable. “The condition of the utility and the community’s ability to support it become secondary issues at best. The public is too often misled with incomplete and vague information.  Although only a repeal of Act 12 can fix this problem, the PUC’s proposed changes are a step in the right direction. But they do not go far enough. Open public engagement throughout, with total transparency and quantifiable, detailed justification proving a net benefit must be required.�?nbsp;

“Public opposition is growing against predatory water system pricing and the high cost of water and sewer privatization in Pennsylvania,�?said Ginny Marcille-Kerslake, Eastern Pennsylvania Organizer with Food & Water Watch. “While regulators are responding to this public outrage, the proposed measures lack teeth. Only outright repeal of Act 12 will begin to provide any relief to the Pennsylvnians suffering from the rate gouging from the big water corporations.�?nbsp;

“Water is critical to life and municipal water systems have been built by community members over many decades in order to provide this critical resource. These vital systems need to be kept in public hands and predatory and behind-closed door negotiations must not be allowed,” said Jill Ryan, Executive Director of Freshwater Future.

A similar public comment was signed by more than 400 individuals from Pennsylvania. A separate public comment was submitted by nearly 100 New Garden Township residents to document their experience as the guinea pigs of Act 12, which resulted in a 90% rate increase to cover only Aqua’s investment in buying their sewer system. Aqua will seek additional rate increases to pay for any capital improvements.

The public comment deadline is today at 4:30 PM. More about Act 12 is available at www.keepwateraffordable.org

The post Groups, Residents Call for End to Predatory Water System Pricing in Pennsylvania appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

Martin Novikov

Human Resources Director St. Petersburg, FL

E-MAIL

The post Martin Novikov appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

• 52% of Iowa’s assessed river and stream segments and 63% of Iowa’s assessed lakes and reservoirs are impaired, meaning the water is too polluted for its intended use, from drinking water and recreation to fishing and supporting aquatic life.
• E. coli, found in animal waste, is the leading cause of impairments overall, responsible for 62% of impaired waterway segments. A Food & Water Watch analysis of the USDA Census of Agriculture found that Iowa factory farms�?produce a shocking 109 billion pounds of manure annually, equivalent to 25 times the waste of the state’s human population.
• E. coli is also the leading cause of impairment among Iowa’s Outstanding Waters, designated by the state as outstanding natural resources.

Food & Water Watch Iowa Organizer Jennifer Breon issued the following statement:

“The latest data on Iowa’s worsening water quality should be a wakeup call. As legislators rely on proven-to-fail voluntary cleanup, our water is fast becoming factory farms�?toilet. It’s high time we required Iowa’s thousands of unregulated factory farms to clean up their act. The Clean Water for Iowa Act is the legislation to get us there.�?/p>

The post Iowa DNR Reports E. Coli Leading Cause of Iowa’s Impaired Waters appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

Over 100 organizations signed a letter to political leaders this month calling for the legislation to be strengthened �?specifically by removing provisions that allowed for hydrogen blending and carbon capture schemes, both of which are expensive, unproven technologies that will only encourage more fossil fuel use. The letter also urged lawmakers to end the practice of counting garbage incineration as a form of renewable energy. 

Food & Water Watch New Jersey State Director Matt Smith issued the following statement:

 “Community groups and climate activists from all over the state have been pushing lawmakers to enact a clean energy standard that closes dirty energy loopholes and creates thousands of good green jobs. We thank Senator Smith for the progress made so far, but more work is needed to strengthen the bill. Specifically, we need clean energy to be defined as zero emissions, not net zero �?which leaves the door open for dirty schemes like mis-named ‘renewable natural gas.’�?We must pass a truly clean energy standard that makes New Jersey a national leader in the fight for clean air and a safe climate future.�?/p>

The post Senate Committee Passes Clean Energy Standard for New Jersey appeared first on Food & Water Watch.

Food & Water Watch Pennsylvania State Director Megan McDonough released the following statement in response: 

“Once again, Governor Shapiro is failing to rise to the challenge and muster the courage to take on fossil fuel polluters. The governor’s clean energy goal is weak on its face and would rely on phony carbon capture schemes. There is no such thing as a ‘clean�?form of fracked gas, except for leaving it in the ground. 

“Governor Shapiro campaigned on his willingness to go after corporate polluters and stand up for the communities that have been harmed by fracking. His energy plan shows that, once again, his policies do not match his promises.�?/p>

The post Shapiro’s Weak Energy Plan appeared first on Food & Water Watch.