Make Peace, Don’t Frack

By George Payne

The International Day of Peace on September 21 is recognized by millions of people all over the globe.  I will celebrate this occasion by showing up at Cobbs Hill Park to resist horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or what is commonly referred to as “hydrofracking.” I will be joined by many of my fellow citizens as we publicly declare our noncooperation with this destructive method of shale gas extraction.  This process is harmful to our communities and is out of balance with Nature.

As an employee of the M.K. Gandhi Institute and a student of nonviolence; it is clear to me how the dangerous consequences of “fracking” produce conditions for ecological and social conflict. The polluting of our water and air leads to the decay of our bodies, which then leads to the dismantling of our families and communities. But I also understand that peace is a unique experience that cannot be claimed by one person or group only.  Workers in the gas industry likely find peace in the satisfaction of a hard days’ labor. They may sleep well at night knowing that they placed food on the table for their children.

Why is my peace more important than the peace that a shale gas driller receives from doing a job he or she thinks is necessary? After-all, gas comes to all of us in the beneficial forms of light bulbs, refrigerators, cars, hospitals and fire stations. Most workers in the hydrofracking industry are not only unembarrassed about their job, they are proud to supply their neighbors with vital sources of nonrenewable energy.  This very letter would not have been typed if some worker had not dug for gas somewhere.

All of us benefit from innovation and technology in more ways than we realize.  Furthermore, every type of “activist” should be sensitive to the wisdom of Mother Theresa, who reminded us that “if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” The reason I am against “fracking” is because I feel connected to everything that has life in the world. I am no more disunited from the herons and egrets outside my bedroom window than I am the man or woman who chooses to work for Halliburton or Chesapeake Energy.

The reasons I am opposed to hydrofracking in New York State are the same reasons that I am opposed to doing it anywhere else in the world. I feel an unbreakable bond to the beings that depend on our air, water, and land. I must do my part to maintain a balance with these beings around me. Hydrofracking is out of balance with the needs of life itself. If a definition for peace must be given, it is this: peace is living in balance with the needs of life.

Hydrofracking is out of balance with the needs of life because it is an experimental process of shale gas extraction that brings the risk of avoidable calamities wherever it is attempted. Even though Senator John Kerry has extolled America as “the Saudi Arabia of natural gas,” and many politicians, business moguls, invested scientists and professors, and eager workers routinely shrug off the perils of “fracking”; here are some facts to consider: 7 million gallons of water are used to frack a single well, and 30% of this precious resource is lost forever in the various stages of extraction and storage production. Methane escapes during the drilling process, and later as fuel is moved through massive pipelines. During the intensive drilling periods diesel engines and generators run constantly. Over the past two years there have been at least two catastrophic spills that released close to 8,000 gallons of carcinogenic fluid into freshwater aquifers. Even when extraction is successful, the fluid that is removed is commingled with the shale gas and contains radioactive elements including uranium isotopes, brine, and other heavy metals. Lastly, natural gas may be cleaner and more efficient than diesel but there is no infrastructure in place that will enable our society to transition from oil to natural gas.[1] The bottom line is this: hydrofracking profits few at the expense of many. As a humanitarian and concerned citizen of New York State, I will not stand by while the land we all depend on is so severely threatened.

The message “Make Peace, Don’t Frack” is not against anyone. If we make peace, it will be together. The oil and gas tycoon is not my enemy. The driller is not my enemy.  The truck driver who transports the radioactive waste is not my enemy. Governor Cuomo is not my enemy. The only enemies I have in this world are ignorance and fear. September 21 is a day when both of these enemies will be combated with the inexhaustible, renewable energy known as “people power.”

If you possibly can, join us at Cobbs Hill Park near Lake Riley on September 21, anytime between 5-8PM. Bring your friends and family. Wear your blue t-shirt. This is a day when we stand against the ignorance that has brought “fracking” to our doorstep and stand for present and future lives in this beautiful state of ours.