Why does not the current administration request legislation to protect our nation's clean water supplies ?
My question is why does not the current administration request legislation to protect our nation’s clean water supply, from natural gas companies and oil companies, by repealing all exemptions to EPA regulations (safe drink water act, clean water act, superfund law, etc.) that were granted specifically to natural gas companies and oil companies by the 2005 Energy Act ?
These exemptions have given a green light to the use of hydraulic fracturing that injects 596 toxic chemicals, in a high pressure sand and water mixture to crack open shale and rock to release trapped natural gas, that allows some trapped natural gas and some of those 596 toxic chemicals to leak into adjacent underground well water and surface water (streams, rivers, lakes). Some of these chemicals are known to cause cancer and have caused tumors in people drinking well water after hydraulic fracturing was used near by their water supply.
How can we decrease our health care costs if we don’t protect our nation’s clean water supply from contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing ? Our local, state, and federal water regulations do not require testing for chemicals in hydraulic fracturing and current water purification systems do not filter out the majority of those toxic chemicals. A $ 21000 reverese osmosis water purification system could not remove the glycol from hydraulic fracturing toxic chemicals and will also require a water distillation process in addition to reverse osmosis to try and remove the glycol.
The 2005 Energy Act legalized this form of unintentional industrial terrorism by natural gas companies and oil companies contamimating our nation’s clean water supply and does not allow them to be held accountable for those actions.
It really does take both a really squeaky wheel, and the gathering of forces.
Therefore it takes extraordinary leadership, running the government obstacle course and
the keeping spirits up of all involved.
There are huge forces suppressing action and information in important areas, so being
willing to go the distance against evil, including neglect takes the tenacity of real heros.
There are many who are followers by nature who are ready to follow a great leader into any battle.
The leader just has to first recognize himself, and then be assured he has a following that will back him up.
All the above facts are maddening, but not motivating without and organized devotion to take action,
including against naysayers.
That would only happen if it looks as if it would garner enough votes to make up for all the money that the big energy companies would pump into the re-election campaigns of the legislators who oppose it.