Subject:Protect Our Water: Support The Fracking Legislative Package
Dear [Decision Maker],
I am writing to ask you to SUPPORT the hydraulic fracturing legislative package, a group of bills that would protect Michigan citizens from the dangers of Fracking.
Fracking has been associated with literally thousands of incidents of environmental contamination in several other states, which we must not allow to happen here. The EPA recently linked groundwater contamination to Fracking in Wyoming, Ohio underwent multiple earthquakes because of Fracking, and now scientists are suggesting that Fracking can also destroy air quality.
Michigan needs to delay any new natural gas Fracking until we have strengthened our safeguards and laws to protect our clean, fresh water, our air, our natural resources, and our communities.
There are some major problems with Fracking. The water that flows out of Fracking wells carries toxic and radioactive substances mobilized from the rock by the Fracking chemicals. A Congressional report on Fracking listed 750 chemicals used in the Fracking process, of which at least 29 of the chemicals are carcinogens or pose a risk to human health. Right now, companies are not required to fully disclose which of these cancer-causing chemicals they are putting into the ground.
In addition, each of these deep Fracking operations consumes up to 5 million gallons of water from local watersheds and the Great Lakes basin. However, Michigan's water withdrawal regulations currently exempt oil and gas drillers from complying with rules designed to protect waterways and groundwater from being depleted.
Michigan needs to "push pause" on Fracking until we learn more about this process and until we have more protections in place.
Please SUPPORT the Fracking legislative package, and help get this on the agenda of the House Energy and Technology Committee. This is vital in order to protect our water, our air, and our communities.
Sincerely,
Angelita Mercado
