Program to explain ‘What is Fracking?'

Gas drilling and water safety come into focus at Saturday informational program WESTFALL — Pike County residents became more aware of the possibility of gas drilling locally as pink survey flags appeared along US Route 6 last week. This was followed by yellow cable, “thumper trucks” and traffic interruptions as the Texas-based firm of Dawson Geophysical did seismic testing to determine where natural gas may be located. So what does all this mean? Pike County Citizens for Clean Water are presenting “What is Fracking?”, a free program exploring the potential health and environmental effects of natural gas extraction. The program will take place on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 1:30 p.m. at the Delaware Valley High School. In addition to environmental considerations, “What is Fracking?” will address potential impacts to local roads, infrastructure, and associated costs to taxpayers if gas drilling comes to Pike County as a large-scale industrial operation. The program will include “Upper Delaware, Lower Delaware: One River” by Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director of Delaware Riverkeeper; “Overview of the Process of Mining for Natural Gas” by Barbara Arrindell; and “The Legacy of our Watershed to our Children” by Pat Carullo, both of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability. A speaker from the PA DEP has also been invited to speak. Media presentations that document the process of hydraulic fracturing and its impact on communities where it has occurred will be shown. Printed materials will be available, and a town hall question and answer forum will follow. Visit www.twcwc.com and click ‘Fracking’ for more information. A number of concerned elected officials, business leaders and environmental groups are calling for more careful regulation and scrutiny of corporations that extract natural gas from our area. Of particular concern is hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking,” a process that injects millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and potentially toxic chemicals under high pressure deep into the shale layer. “What is Fracking?” is an opportunity for Pike County citizens to learn more about potential environmental consequences of hydraulic fracturing so that we can offer informed input to public policy decisions that will have long-term consequences. “What is Fracking?” is presented free of charge to the public by Pike County Citizens for Clean Water and Twin and Walker Creeks Watershed Conservancy, with 15 additional co-sponsors (listed in full on the event web page at http://www.twcwc.com/fracking.htm). Many other local officials and organizations have indicated that they will attend or send representatives to participate. For more information contact: Keith LaPan at 917-748-0930 or krlapan@nyc.rr.com .