Eye Opener: Photo Essay

I struggled a bit to come up with a topic for this photo essay blog! Since I'm back at home for a week, I wanted to do something here, but was having a hard time thinking up an idea. I really didn't think my family was all that environmentally friendly, so I decided to go on a little search to see what I'd find. I was pleasantly surprised! I would say that the topic of this photo essay is Ways to Be Environmentally Friendly. Cliche sounding I know, but, I feel like I was slightly narrow minded when it came to this topic. I tend to think of only the most common ways to be green, like recycling or not using plastic bags or water bottles, but it can be so much more than that if you open your eyes! So, here is what I found...enjoy :)

 

This is the apple orchard we have. Obviously, it doesn't look like much since it's the end of November, but instead of buying apples, we grow our own! My dad makes apple cider out of them and for Thanksgiving, I'll be making apple pie with them!

 

At my house, we heat with a wood stove. So, my dad goes out in our woods and uses the dead trees out there for firewood. Instead of buying wood, we use what we have on our land. 

 

Now, I know this just looks like a pile of cans. Which it is! But I didn't really think my family did a whole lot of recycling. While we don't recycle everything, we make an effort to recycle all the soda cans that we use. 

As I said before, we use a wood stove to heat out house. So, we don't just dump the ashes out, we reuse them. In the winter, our road can get icy, so we throw them on the road to prevent sliding around. It works great and is better than buying those toxic salts. 

This picture doesn't show a whole lot, but there's obviously no way I could get a picture of our well underground! We have an underground water well, so any water that we use comes from this. I think this is awesome, considering how much we've been talking about water in class. There are so many contaminants and chemicals in water that we are unaware of...I'm thankful that I don't need to worry about that when I'm at home! 

Mmmm salsa! One of my favorite things. The best part is that it's homemade, made with locally grown veggies and peppers. My dad has been making it for years and it is amazing! 

Now, this is for sure my least favorite picture but I thought I should include it still! It's frozen venison from the deer my dad just shot while bow hunting this past week. We had talked about in class how venison is so good for you since it doesn't contain any hormones or added junk. I thought it fit right in with this topic of being green and eating environmentally friendly. 

This is a picture of our garden. It doesn't look like much (same as the apple orchard) since it's the end of November. But this year for Thanksgiving we are using the potatoes from it to make mashed potatoes...so good! We also grow all sorts of other vegetables and herbs in it.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my photo essay blog. It actually turned out to be more fun than I thought it would be. It's amazing the different ways that we can be environmentally friendly without even realizing it! 

* Photo credit Ruthanne Juza

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Introduction:

The issue that this blog will focus on is the chemicals that are being mixed in with our drinking water and how the energy industry is opposed to allowing the public access to this information. The current legislation that has been proposed to address this is the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, (H.R. 2766),  also known as the FRAC Act.

Who is affected by the issue?

I believe that the people who are most affected by this issue are those that are consuming the water that is full of chemicals. Obviously, consuming chemicals unknowingly will cause harm, whether you realize it or not. It is unfair and wrong that people are drinking water that contains harmful toxins and they aren't even are of it. What is even worse is that industries that oppose making this knowledge public. As we all know, money is the major driving force behind this type of controversy.

So who loses in all of this and what exactly do they have to lose? Well, the people come first and what they could potentially lose is their health. Along with that, they are losing, in a way, their rights. We live in a country where people should have the right to know what is in their water, and the fact that we don't, is mind boggling to me. Obviously, the energy industry and drilling indrustry are also who would lose in all of this. People that live in areas where drilling is occuring could be consuming water that has chemicals in it, due to the hydraulic fracturing process. The energy industry plays a huge role in this as well, since they are the ones who would have to disclose the chemicals that they mix with the water and sand that they pump underground. Now, I know this all sounds a little confusing! But it's really pretty simple. Chemicals and toxins are being leached into drinking water through these processes of drilling and energy processes. If this act gets passed, the industries would be required to release whats known as trade secrets, their chemical information that is unknown to other industries. If the act would get passed, people would gain the information needed in order to better understand what they are putting in their bodies through their own drinking water. Perhaps, medical issues could be better understood and hopefully prevented.

What are the consequences of the issue?

The first and most important consequence of this issue is people's health. The consumption of chemicals is not healthy and can be detrimental to one's health. The people that are most affected by this issue are the ones that are unknowningly drinking water that may be contaminated and not good for them. ProPublica, which is an online journal, has published many reports that suggest that hydraulic fracturing could be the cause of water contamination in areas that have drilling operations happening. The EPA has not been able to conclude that fracturing is the cause of the water contamination, yet blames this lack of information of the fact that the 2006 Energy Policy Act does not require that hydraulic fracturing be a part of federal water laws. When I read this, I was really thrown for a loop. I don't understand how this can not be a part of federal water laws, when it is clear that the drilling industry is performing an operation that could be causing chemicals to be leached into invidiual's drinking water. It all seems a little twisted to me. Everyone is affected by this because everyone consumes water, one way or the other!

What is the economic impact of the issue?

The economic issues that surround this issue isn't too hard to understand. As I said before, money is the driving force behind so many issues in our society. The Independent Petroleum Association of America believes that states already do enough to regulate hydraulic fracturing. According to them, they believe that is would just be an additional and unecessary regulation. They would end up paying about $100,000 for this new regulation. Along with this, the Energy in Depth, a lobbying group, claims that the FRAC Act could potentially cause half of the Unities States oil wells and gas wells to be closed down. This is huge! Obviously, the gas and oil industries are the ones that would bear the brunt of the FRAC Act being passed. They would lose extreme amounts of money. The government would also sustain a major loss, since the oil and gas industry provide a huge amount of revenue. But, in the end, the economic benefits are not what is the most important. I understand that massive amounts of money will be lost and that it would cost money for this act to be put into place. But, if it saves lives and prevents people from consuming chemicals and toxins in their water, wouldn't it be worth it?

Social Impacts

 I struggled a little bit on how to answer this question. I don't feel that the social impacts play a very large role in this act. I believe that society would benefit from this act being passed, in the end. Yet, the fact that many people who work for the gas and oil industries could lose their jobs does cross my mind. This would certainly be a huge social impact for them and the families involved.

Barriers

The barriers are pretty easy to define. The gas and oil industries are the major and primary barriers when it comes to passing the FRAC Act. They are very opposed to passing this act, due the amount of money and jobs that would be lost. Another barrier would be the lack of information. This situation is one where the lack of knowledge is huge. I know that for myself, when I drink water, I never really stop and think what could potentially be in it? I think a way of overcoming this issue is spreading the word and getting people to understand the severity of it all. A way of overcoming the barriers with the industries could be to write letters and advocate for the cause.

Resources

The major resource needed is the money to pass the act. It would cost the industries more money to provide more intensive regulation of the chemicals and toxins that are being released when drilling operations are occurring. I'm not sure if this is even possible, but if there was a way that the government could provide the funding for the extra regulation, perhaps the industries would be more apt to let this act pass. On the other hand, the government will lose money due to the fact that many industries may have to be shut down. Money is the major resource behind this act and one that I'm not sure how it can be overcome.

History

There is not just one community that is being affected by this issue, due to the fact that drilling occurs in 31 states. The EPA has said that the hydraulic process is safe, yet water contamination has been found in more than a thousand places where drilling occurs. The FRAC was first introduced to congress in June 2009, was adjourned in January 2011, and was reintroduced in March 2011. So far, no decision has been made and the act is still in congress. Yet, there has been many court cases and lobbying that has occurred over this act.

Allies & Opponents

The people who would support this issue are those in charge of the act and also the people who are affected by the contaminants in the drinking water. The House bill was introduced by representives Diana Degette and Jared Polis, both Democrats from Colorado and Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat from New York. The Senate version of this bill was introduced by senators Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania and by Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York. These states are all involved in drilling. Now for the opposing side. The ones who would oppose this act being passed are the oil and energy industries and those that support them. 

Advocacy Efforts

There have already been many lobbying events and court cases surrounding this act. I believe that this will continue until the act is either passed or denied. I know that all would agree that those who lose their jobs would be affected dramatically if this act was passed. I think that this is certainly common ground and that its an issue that needs to addressed more in depth. I don't think there is a win-win for this situation. If the act is passed, a great deal of money and jobs will be lost. If the act isn't passed, then people will continue to drink water that is contaminated. It almost seems like a lose-lose to me. 

My Recommendation

I want policy makers to vote yes on the FRAC Act. In the beginning, when I first did my research, I was sure that yes was the right answer. I still am, but with a little hesitation. I didn't realize the negative impacts that this act would cause. But, I still feel that peoples health and well being come before any amount of money. I say yes to voting on the FRAC Act.