Anti-fracking group to visit Ann Arbor in statewide ballot petition drive
A Michigan group working to collect enough signatures to get a ban on the oil and gas industry's practice of fracking placed on a statewide ballot will be stopping in Ann Arbor as a part of their petition drive, according to media reports.
Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, involves injecting chemical brine water deep into horizontally drilled wells to "fracture" formations that separate pockets of oil and gas to make the well more productive.
Opponents to the industry practice say drilling and fracking creates waste and pollution at drilling sites.
In Ann Arbor, the group will be in the tap room of Arbor Brewing Company at 114 E. Washington St. from 6 to 9 p.m. April 10.
The committee needs 258,088 signatures within six months to get the measure on the ballot in November 2014, MLive.com reported.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Comments
windjmar
Thu, Apr 11, 2013 : 3:44 a.m.
Wished the reporter would have done their homework. Went to this to sign the petition and it turned out to be a meeting on how to collect the signatures. The ability to sign the petition does not begin until April 12th.
outdoor6709
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 12:32 p.m.
Democrats are very good at whipping up their base through fear and hate. The EPA has tried to find a reason to end fracking for years with no luck. I would like one of the anti-fracking believers to show one example of fracking ruining the ground water. Fracking uses large amounts of water that need to be decontaminated, as do many manufacturing processes. After decontamination water is put back into system. Instead of listening to a fear mongering group, everyone should do their own research and make an informed decision.
Kai Petainen
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 1:08 p.m.
"everyone should do their own research and make an informed decision." I have. I've looked into how poor of a job the state does at enforcement. Take a look at how lousy of a job they are doing with 1,4 Dioxane in Ann Arbor and how it is spreading -- that's a fact. A city well is offline already due to that -- that's a fact. So, as the state sucks at enforcement on Dioxane, a carcinogen (an opinion), how do you think they'll do with fracking?
outdoor6709
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 12:45 p.m.
Based on the instant negative feedback, I must assume making an informed decision is a bad idea. Who would have thought in the center of the belief in diversity, the belief in diversity of thought is a bad idea.
motorcycleminer
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 12:27 p.m.
Must be spring the loons have returned.....
mermaid72
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 12:37 p.m.
Not near the mess the pipeline has made.
metrichead
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 10:32 a.m.
I'm sick of all these ballot initiatives. We pay legislators to enact/vote down new laws for us. How about a new ballot initiative: no more ballot initiatives for 10 years?
Stan Hyne
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 2:42 p.m.
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers.
Ypsibronc
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 4:39 a.m.
I'm sure that the CBFM folks will travel to A2 via bicycles, horses or some other enviro friendly means.
rsa221
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 1:17 a.m.
I look forward to signing this petition.
heresmine
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 11:31 p.m.
How can anyone believe that pumping tainted water into the ground won't have repercussions down the road either in the form of turning good water bad or causing the ground to erupt. If you pump it in under pressure, that pressure needs to find a way to, um, relieve itself. We need to think about the future and not just immediate gain. I'm reminded of a poster I saw recently where a statement was made that if your neighbor puts junk all over his yard, that's pollution. If a business does it over a very large area, damaging the ecosystem for years to come, that's called "progress".
Kai Petainen
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 10:16 p.m.
In general, I'm not against fracking -- but in Michigan, Michigan sucks at enforcement when it comes to the environment. One just needs to look at the lackluster job that the MDEQ does at 1,4 Dioxane and how the EPA/DNR/Ann Arbor ignored an oil/acid spill in the Huron River. These agencies appear to advocate more for the corporations, than they do for the people. If enforcement was good in the state, then I'd support it.... but enforcement sucks... so I don't support fracking. Fix enforcement, and I'll support fracking.
tim
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 9:46 p.m.
The whole fracking thing is double edged sword --- on the one hand there is a chance it could cause ground water pollution on the other hand it produces an abundance of natural gas and if used as a motor fuel would cause far less air pollution than burning either gasoline or diesel fuel.
demistify
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 8:45 p.m.
It is very appropriate for this group to meet in a barroom, in view of their intellectual heft. The paragraph in this story that pretends to explain fracking is completely incorrect nonsense.
mermaid72
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 11:50 a.m.
Oh please, where do you think it should be held, in a gas station?
LXIX
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 8:34 p.m.
Common practice is to inject oil industry waste water into oil wells to dispose of it and/or pump water in to wells to drive more of the remaining fuel (water forces the oil up to be pumped out). Scientists now believe that In November 2011 a 5.7 Earthquake near Prague, Oklahoma was the cause of well water injection. It destroyed a dozen homes and injured two people and added to the many smaller quakes previously experienced in that area around the wells. That is method is not fracking where underground rock is intentionally fractured under high fluid pressure to release fuels contained within the rock. The fluid used can contain a variety of toxic chemicals to facilitate the process. A numberof earthquakes around Youngstown Ohio last year have been attributed to the fracking method of injection in that area. People also believe that the toxic chemicals used are leaking into their fresh water wells nearby. The oil and gas PR industry will tell people there has yet to be any documented proof of any major problems with fracking.
LXIX
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 12:11 p.m.
You are correct the OK quakes were not due to fracking. The OH quakes were. Tried to say that with my great sentence structure. Fracking involves pressurized fluid injection. That disturbs the rock structure below ground which is "suspected" to be the cause of local earthquakes. The OK well event was due to a continuous pumping of waste water underground which ultimately pressurized the rock bed nearby and unleashed the fault lines. Not intentional fracking per se but the same cause and effect resulting in shaky real estate...
michael Limmer
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 10:33 p.m.
The well you cite is a conventional oil well, not one that involved fracking.
Usual Suspect
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 6:01 p.m.
Are they going to sing songs at the gate to the governor's neighborhood?
ordmad
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 5:42 p.m.
Nonsense. I want to be able to light my tap water.
cinnabar7071
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 7:11 p.m.
Maybe you should watch this, Stossel Exposes Gas Land Hoax Flaming Faucets were not Due to Fracking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbsPUSS0sK0
John of Saline
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 4:58 p.m.
A much more reasonable approach is to cooperate and come up with good rules to prevent problems: http://tinyurl.com/dx9zbb9 However, that takes work. Much easier to just be anti-everything.
Superior Twp voter
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 4:37 p.m.
Misguided mob of eco-alarmists who are no doubt against any sort of fossil fuel(s). Fracking has been around for decades. Oil and gas drive the economic engine of freedom. That would and should continue to be the United States of America.
mermaid72
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 11:55 a.m.
You might just be alarmed if the mess that has been made in our country by Enbridge was in your backyard. You just might join in the mob if your well is full of gas and all your trees ripped out. Now that's freedom!
Steve Bean
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 8:13 p.m.
My understanding is that it's not fracking, per se, that's the problem, but the more recent technological shift to horizontal drilling and use of chemical fluids (among other things, perhaps). But maybe you have a source of information that can back up your claims. I'm sure others would appreciate a link.
Steve Bean
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 4:31 p.m.
Info on the industry's PR strategy here: http://truth-out.org/news/item/15354-gas-industry-report-calls-anti-fracking-movement-a-highly-effective-campaign
Steve Bean
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 8:09 p.m.
What about them? I just offered a link to more info. Feel free to do the same. One significant difference between RE metals and fossil fuels is that fuel can only be used once.
Basic Bob
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 5:37 p.m.
And how about all the heavy metals and rare earth elements that go into alternative energy? Or the huge energy usage required to fabricate the generating equipment? Or the vast acres of land required to hold all that equipment? If you think oil is in short supply, there's a reason they call them "rare earth elements". Most of these are mined in China, so even though you might not be immediately concerned about their environment, you might consider what happens when they decide to raise prices and ration exports.
Top Cat
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 4:27 p.m.
Anti America energy and anti Michigan jobs. We need this like the plague.
Steve Bean
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 4:39 p.m.
Energy conservation and efficiency, internet infrastructure, wind and solar generation equipment manufacturing/installation/maintenance, and other alternatives also provide jobs and for longer. And they do it without endangering vital water resources. Another option would be to simply regulate the industry adequately and/or require contingency funds be set aside in advance to address potential problems of a less harmful kind.
Nicholas Urfe
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 4:16 p.m.
Excellent. Michigan does not need our greatest resource - our fresh water - destroyed by get rich quick schemes from an industry that typically puts profits first and looks at contamination as a business expense.
mermaid72
Sat, Mar 30, 2013 : 12:16 p.m.
This pipeline is on the edge of our beautiful lake, one that many Ann Arborites use for recreation and have cottages on. We who live here, use our lake for drinking water as well as a source of recreation. The section that the Enbridge Pipe is near is the nesting ground for Cranes and water birds. Last Sunday at 6:00 am, the Enbridge bunch were working with huge searchlights to complete part of their dirty deeds done cheap. Neighbors who went over to see what was going on were all told different stories than those of us who called to complain. If you want to actually see the mess that is being made, come out to to North Territorial and turn on Joslin Lake Road. Take a drive down what was once a lovely, peaceful counrty road, then any of you who think Enbridge Oil is such a eco-friendly good gompany might just change your views. This is your county and our country.
Kai Petainen
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 10:17 p.m.
a well in Ann Arbor was already shut down due to pollution... it's not fear-mongering...
Usual Suspect
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 6:51 p.m.
"If fracking is allowed in MI at some point in the future, get ready for polluted drinking water and open sesspools of contaminated water as well as industry-induced earthquakes" It has been around in Michigan for decades and none of that has happened. Typical fear-based propaganda, aimed at those who can't think for themselves (because they know they can't reach those who can think for themselves).
JRW
Fri, Mar 29, 2013 : 4:27 p.m.
Bravo. Excellent post. Anyone who doubts this industry's track record need only look at Pennsylvania. The Poster Child for fracking gone wrong. It's an industry with one goal: short term profits, and then leave the devastated land and water behind. They are secretively approaching farmers in other states with big money land deals (get rich quick) to buy up farm land for future fracking, which will permanently pollute the land and water. They would love to frack in MI with the Great Lakes providing all the millions of gallons of water for their destructive practices. If fracking is allowed in MI at some point in the future, get ready for polluted drinking water and open sesspools of contaminated water as well as industry-induced earthquakes. Europe has banned the practice in most countries.