TO THE EDITOR:
“Shalefield Stories,” a compilation of personal accounts and hardships experienced by those living on or near fracking sites, should be read by every North Carolinian. From finding carcinogenic arsenic and barium in drinking water to having a 15 million gallon fracking waste pit constructed just 200 feet from their houses, those who are featured “Shalefield Stories” know all too well about the destruction caused by fracking.
This so-called “clean energy source” produces billions of tons of toxic wastewater per year, pollutes ground water sources and destroys homes and communities. The truth is that natural gas is a fossil fuel, and there is absolutely nothing clean about the process of extracting it. But Gov. Pat McCrory still wants to bring fracking to North Carolina, putting things like Jordan Lake, the Eno River and the drinking water for as many as 2.4 million North Carolinians at stake.
If we want to keep our drinking waters free of toxic chemicals and carcinogens and preserve our beautiful natural spaces for years to come, we must heed the warnings set forth by “Shalefield Stories.” We must demand that our elected officials do what is in the best interest of the health of North Carolinians, and not what is best for the gas industry. Let’s make sure that the next issue of “Shalefield Stories” doesn’t include personal accounts from North Carolina.
Michelle Graziosi ’15
Environmental science
