Fracking and Local Food

Think Local

By Chris Hoffman

(Sherburne, NY – June 2011) CDOG (Chenango Delaware Otsego Gas Group, (www.un-naturalgas.org) is a representative organization whose mission includes critiquing agencies, leasing agents, and officeholders who downplay or obscure the dangers of gas drilling and helping local governments strengthen their ability to protect their communities.

I recently received a brochure called “Agriculture and High Volume Hydrofracking are NOT Compatible,” based on a 116-page presentation to NYRAD (nyrad.org) by Martha Goodsell of the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group that cites numerous studies, articles, and reports suggesting that gas drilling and agriculture cannot safely co-exist if we want a healthy, sustainable, local food supply.  The brochure addresses significant issues that I thought were worth sharing, which I do below (with permission).

Soil Contamination – Gas flaring adversely affects soil fertility, causing the soil to become more acidic and reducing total organic carbon, nitrate, and phosphate content. Methane from pipeline leaks changes the oxygen and bacterial composition of the soil, altering the ability of plants to fix nitrogen, successfully complete cellulose conversion, and maintain an adequate hydration level.

Radioactivity – The Marcellus shale is very rich in Radium 226, and uranium, radon and other radioactive decay products may be prevalent in the air, soil and drinking water at or near natural gas sites. Taken up by crop plants, these radioactive elements accumulate in the food chain, eventually appearing in milk and dairy products.

Heavy Metals – Strontium, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury may be found in drilling waste and can be absorbed by plants and incorporated into the food chain. It takes a minimum of four years of successive plantings to decontaminate the soil.

Soil Erosion and Compaction – Soil erosion from well site construction is not as detrimental as compaction from hundreds of heavy truck trips, but in either case, farmers are finding restoration difficult, if not impossible.

Farmland Fragmentation – Every time a well pad or access road cuts across a farm field, it fragments productive farmland, creating smaller farms that may be too small to operate profitably.  Every farm going out of business reduces the critical mass necessary to support supply and service providers, creating a downward spiral of failure.

Water Usage – Water used in agriculture remains in the hydrologic cycle, while most water used in gas drilling is consumed and lost forever.

Ozone Impacts on Crop Yields – Gas drilling emissions lead to increased ground level ozone with serious impacts to agricultural productivity resulting in declining crop yields.  Grapes are particularly sensitive, as are soybeans, alfalfa, clover and other native grazing grasses.

Falling Reproductive Rates – At least 40 percent of the chemicals used for fracking are known endocrine disruptors, resulting in abortions, fetal death and irregular fertility cycles; declining reproduction rates will have severe consequences on agriculture and food production.

Livestock Poisonings – Livestock, attracted to saltiness, often drink surface water from ponds and streams contaminated by the highly toxic liquids used in fracking. Even small spills can contaminate drinking water and grasses that livestock eat.  Documented reports of livestock illness and death from exposure to these spills are increasing.

Toxic Compounds throughout the Food Chain – Toxic chemicals and radioactive elements taken up by and accumulated within plants travel throughout the food chain from one living organism to the next, eventually reaching human consumers.

Inadequate Food Safety Inspections – Even in areas with known exposure to fracking chemicals, there is no system in place for the testing of affected crops or meat from livestock. The Government Accountability Office reports that the National Residue Program, responsible for monitoring chemical residues, misses known heavy metal residues and chemicals present in meat and poultry.

Drilling for natural gas is a much bigger issue than whether or not individual landowners might receive an income for the use of their land. What is at stake is the very survival of agriculture in CNY, as well as the long-term health of animals and people who live here.

As I have written before, the gas companies are not concerned about the devastation their work will leave behind.  They are only interested in making a profit.  Please think about what life would be like without our farms, with contaminated streams and ruined land.  Please make the effort to become fully informed.

A comprehensive list of local organizations working on these issues can be found at www.GasMain.org.

Chris Hoffman lives in the village of Sherburne in her 150+ year-old house where she caters to the demands of her four cats, attempts to grow heirloom tomatoes and herbs and reads voraciously. She was instrumental in defeating NYRI’s power lines through her work with STOP NYRI, Inc., and passionately pursues various avenues with like-minded friends to preserve and protect a sustainable rural lifestyle for everyone in Central New York.