In Josh Fox’s GASLAND, the Special Jury Prize winner at 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Josh plays the banjo. Ominous phallic objects appear in fields and prairies across America. People bring a match to their kitchen sink and their water lights on fire. Odd gastro-intestinal and neurological diseases spread through inhabitants. The water hisses and bubbles in the neighborhood, pets’ hair fall out, cattle perishes, people condemn their faucets, move out of their houses. It’s bad and getting badder. Oh, yes, Josh’s film is not a horror film about some devilish entity taking over America’s H2O, it’s a documentary about Natural Gas. (Or is that really the same thing?)
You know, Gas, the alternative to Oil in the phrase “Oil and Gas companies”. Like Halliburton. Like the companies that were exempted to comply with the EPA’s Clean Drinking Water Act by the Cheney/Bush Administration. “Clean drinking Water”… Mmmh… Why would someone NOT want clean drinking water? Isn’t it time we look up from Lilo’s latest implants and other frilly concerns to pay a little attention?
A few of Gasland Facts:
– A loophole in the ’05 Energy Bill act exempts gas drillers from EPA guidelines like the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and many more.
– Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking, the Halliburton-hailed new method of gas extraction consists in blasting a solution of water and chemicals 8,000 feet into the ground.
– Over 80,000 pounds of chemicals are injected into the earth’s crust to frack each well.
– Researchers suspect that 65 of the compounds used in fracking are hazardous to human health.
– Upwards of 70% of the fracking fluid remains in the ground and is not biodegradable.
– These, along with actual gas end up in the neighboring drinking water.
GASLAND IN CENTRAIL PARK TONIGHT!!!
For tix or info:
The Arsenal Gallery, Central Park, 64th Street and Fifth Avenue
Reception to follow.
R.S.V.P. required. Call 212.360.1324,
This is an amazing documentary and so important for everyone to watch. we have to protect our water and our land!
thanks for running this story.
thank you gloria for getting off the couch – and to the public parlor!!
I live in Pittsburgh. Before the media got hold of the story, back in early August, we knew we were being monitored by Pennsylvania’s Homeland Security. I am proud beyond words to say that not one of the dear people who’ve stood with me (at countless community meetings and protests, etc.) backed down. Sure, several expressed a bit of trepidation, but they kept getting up off the couch & going to make their voices heard.
We’re planning a Marcellus protest on November 3 in Pittsburgh, everyone’s invited, more info, go here: marcellusprotest.org
Thank you Josh for getting us up off the couch.
Josh Fox will be on the Keith Olbermann show on Monday night talking about how Homeland Security was spying on gas drilling activsts at GASLAND screenings and giving their names to pro-drilling organizations.