On Monday, Oct. 31, Niagara-on-the-Lake Councillor Jamie King will introduce a resolution calling for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing and the treatment of fracking wastewater within the Great Lakes Basin. To read a copy of the resolution, visit that city council’s website here.
The resolution was sparked by concern about the Niagara Falls (New York) Water Board’s move to explore treating fracking wastewater in Niagara Falls’ wastewater treatment system.
Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a process used to extract shale gas using vertical and horizontal drilling. Sand, water and chemicals are released at an extremely high pressure to fracture shale where natural gas is trapped. Fracking is extremely water intensive using approximately 2 million to 9 million gallons of water per “fracking” job. This method of natural gas extraction also uses harmful chemicals with a four billion gallon fracking project requiring approximately 80 tonnes (200,000 gallons) of chemicals.
What you can do to protect the Great Lakes:
CONTACT CITY COUNCIL: Call or email the Mayor and your city councillor to tell them you support the resolution and want a ban on fracking in the Great Lakes Basin. You can find their contact information here.
MAKE A DEPUTATION ON MONDAY OCT. 31: You have until 10 a.m. on Monday to sign up to speak, but it is better to sign up this Friday if possible. The delegation request form/details are here. Written comments are welcome too.
TELL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Regardless of where you live, pass this action alert to your family and friends in Niagara-on-the-Lake and ask them to support the resolution protecting the Great Lakes from fracking.
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The more people that know about this the better. Write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper. To access our “Letter to the editor” online form, click here.
DONATE NOW: Fracking is just one of several serious environmental threats our Great Lakes are facing. We need your support to save this natural treasure today and for future generations. Click here to make your donation and help protect the Great Lakes forever.
The Great Lakes are part of the global commons (a shared entity) and are a public trust. The Great Lakes hold nearly 20 per cent of the world’s freshwater and 95 per cent of North America’s freshwater. They provide drinking water to 40 million people in surrounding areas.
Fracking is a threat to the drinking water of current and future generations, public health and the Great Lakes ecosystem. Help protect the Great Lakes and act now!
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