Academy Award nominated actor Mark Ruffalo appeared on “The Colbert Report” last night to talk about fracking – hydro-fracking in particular.
I’ve blogged about fracking before. It is the practice of drilling for natural gas using a combination of water and chemicals. The fluid is injected into shale, which causes fractures in the rock, which releases the natural gas.
The problem is many believe this method of extracting natural contaminates local drinking water. I remember reading an article about the pros and cons of fracking in PEOPLE magazine. One lady, I cannot remember what state she lived in, was actually able to set her water on fire. Set her water on fire? How crazy is that?
Ruffalo was also on the show last night to kick off the Water Defense’s “Natural Gas Exxposed” campaign. This campaign promises to tell the stories of Americans adversely affected by the fracking, such as the lady I mentioned above.
Ruffalo talked about visiting Dimock, Pennsylvania. Many residents in this small town have drinking water they cannot drink. What an oxymoron that is! Their water has a color, foul smell, and taste. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is there investigation exactly what is in the community’s water.
Another part of Ruffalo’s argument against fracking was that America has the technology for renewable energy production, mentioning the solar panels in his backyard.
Of course, “The Colbert Report” is a comedy, so the two got into a mock-fight during the discussion. Colbert said “You can’t run your car on the sun! It is huge and super hot! You’ll use all the energy to run your air conditioner!” He also joked, “We burn things better than anybody’s ever burned things. America was built on burning things.”
So, if fracking is so bad, why can’t we just stop? Well, there’s money in it. Pro-frackers say it creates jobs – something a lot of Americans are looking for. Others are paid handsomely for the fracking that takes place on their land.