John Rumpler
Clean Water Director and Senior Attorney, Environment America
Clean Water Director and Senior Attorney, Environment America
Environment America
Washington, D.C.—Today, more than half a million Americans called on President Obama to protect our national forests, our national parks and the drinking water they provide from fracking. The public outcry comes as the comment period on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposed rule for fracking on public lands draws to a close this Friday.
“Along with 600,000 Americans, we are depending on President Obama to step in and keep fracking out of our national forests and away from our national parks,” said John Rumpler, senior attorney for Environment America.
Across the country, fracking has wrought widespread environmental damage—contaminating drinking water sources and turning treasured landscapes into industrial zones. And now, the oil and gas industry has designs on key areas of America’s natural heritage, including sources of drinking water for millions of Americans:
The Obama administration’s advisory panel on fracking recommended the “[p]reservation of unique and/or sensitive areas as off limits to drilling.” More than half of the comments submitted to the BLM today call for a ban on fracking on all public lands. Yet the proposed BLM rule has no provisions to restrict fracking from any public lands whatsoever.
In addition, strong protections are needed on public lands where fracking is already occurring. Yet, the scope of the propose fracking rule proposed is very limited and its provisions are exceedingly weak:
Fracking generates millions of gallons of toxic wastewater laced with benzene, caustic salts and even radioactive material. Waste pits have contaminated groundwater at more than 400 sites in New Mexico alone.
“Fracking pollutes our water, our air, and our land,” said Rumpler. “The least we can expect from the administration is to keep this dirty drilling away from our forests, our parks, and the drinking water sources for millions of Americans.”
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Environment America is a federation of 29 statewide, citizen-based, environmental advocacy organizations working for a cleaner, greener, healthier future. For more information, visit: www.EnvironmentAmerica.org.