From January 2012
A Call for Radical Accountability
-by Jay Burney
In the years leading up to the Macondo/Deep Water Horizon well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that lead to what is arguably the greatest human caused environmental disaster in history, the world was silent on the environment. For almost a decade the media downplayed environmentalism as an extremely obstructionist strategy preventing economic growth. Climate change deniers grabbed the headlines. The devastations of the energy industry were obscured by the American obsession with war and the latest Hollywood sex scandals. Media abandoned seasoned reporters and for the most part went with industry “talking points” to construct storylines that had no critical basis.
Even after the ongoing disaster all but destroyed the ecosystems and human lifestyles of the Gulf, many still refer to the disaster as a “spill”. This was no spill.
This is a huge disaster that was caused by a deceptive industry intent on cutting corners and squeezing the most profit possible out of dangerous operations. Whenever you hear the phrase “Gulf Oil Spill”, you probably downplay the reality and enormity of this planet changing disaster. Today we are exposed to TV commercials celebrating the resurgence of the gulf, replete with sun drenched images, smiling kids, and playful wildlife. It s like nothing ever happened. In the final second of the commercials the sponsor is revealed BP! Thanks for the support BP!
The New York State Hydrofracking issue has brought an oil and gas industry sponsored hate campaign replete with a barrage of partisan and divisive language crafting. The "phrase engineering" is designed to incite passion against those that urge a cautious approach to hydrofracking.
This includes economic arguments that urge us to believe unconditionally that jobs and economic growth are totally dependent upon the industries ability to extract wealth for private gain from among other places, public properties. And that this has to be done immediately without further delay. The truth is further away.
Some of the principle points made by those that are concerned about the industry’s technology involve a lack of science that substantiates that the process known as hydrofracking is safe. In fact there is plenty of evidence to suggest that both the process and chemicals injected into the earth permanently contaminates water that all life depends upon. This effects humans, animals, and agriculture and food production. There is significant science that clearly links some of the known chemicals used in hydrofracking with human disease including a wide array of cancers. One of the principle issues is that many of the chemicals used are proprietary, which means that they are kept secret by the industry. The industry then disingenuously argues that chemicals that are found in well water and aquifers cannot be traced to the fracking operations and that they therefore cannot be held accountable for health problems and the ultimate health costs which will be borne by a wider society and the taxpayers and individuals effected. These corporate entitlements are outrageous.
As of this writing the USEPA is at least a year away from releasing its science on the safety of hydrofracking although early drafts clearly point out that that contaminated well waters and aquifers are directly linked to fracking operations. This all points to the common sense fact that the economic impact may be far from positive. Individuals that have testified against fracking include doctors, ecologists, scientists, economists, oil and gas extraction specialists, and DEC technical staff whom say that they do not have nearly enough resources to safely oversee fracking.
Most are asking the DEC to both continue is public comment period, and extend its moratorium on issuing permits so that more information and science can be gathered and evaluated.
Environmental activists of all stripes have been and continue to be targets of the campaign to disarm the citizens. Words count. This industry campaign against the well being of humans may be effective as the DEC denies the requests to extend public comment and to extend the moratorium. The economic influence greased by the big companies go all the way to the Governors office, and beyond. Even though there is virtually no health assessment or economic scrutiny of industry claims on the public record. Even though the economic development argument and the jobs promises may prove to be at the very least disingenuous, try telling that to someone that has been marginalized by the oligarchs and needs to feed the family. Very often that’s where the critical thinking ends. Hunger and survival can leave very little room for resistance. This is an effective campaign.
Industry apologists continue the assault. In early December Fred Dicker, the longtime state editor of the NY Post went off on environmentalists on a Fox TV broadcast suggesting that those that oppose fracking are radicals, use hyperbole, are extremists and uninformed.
In a November 16 Buffalo News article about hydrofracking, and in other media venues, environmentalists that oppose fracking have been called “extreme environmentalists” and worse.
Activists that are willing to go against the grain and stand up for ecological integrity, clean water and air, and fight with their words and actions against a monstrous corporate financial and propaganda machine should be considered heros and patriots. Instead some of the mainstream media parrots the industry talking points and portrays activists in as mislead, selfish, obstructionists, socialists, or worse eco-terrorists. That last label puts individuals and organizations that oppose fracking and are willing to say so on a list of potential criminals and the consequences are becoming increasingly dire.
Just because someone is so green that the trees hug them doesn’t mean that they are extremists. Why aren’t the profiteers and their spokespuppets that use disinformation, incomplete half-truths and quick decision-making that masques economic, environmental, and social truths considered the extremists? Who are the criminals here?
A Call for Radical Accountability
Maybe it is time that we adopt a newly emerged from the Occupy Movement concept- "radical accountability". Lets take the promises of the industry and codify them, with financial incentives. For instance, if the state is not going to wait for the science, do the health analysis, or conduct full economic evaluations, make the profiteers accountable by demanding that corporate entitlements be incentivized by:
-A public accountability panel with no members or their families linked to industry hydrofracking profits. The independent panel will that will be funded by the private sector and will include a privately financed fund to evaluate health and economic impacts of hydrofracking in NYS.
-Full public disclosure of chemicals used to include tracers on the chemicals and substances used at each site, so that when they appear in water, they can be sourced.
-Adequate private financed bonding (A minimum $1 million bond for each site) for potential public damages. Let the industry bear the costs, not society. If the costs must be passed on to the consumer, this gives the consumer more opportunities to choose. Let the freemarket decide!
-Publically disclosed job guarantees linked to every individual well and the aggregate that includes penalties for nonperformance, and under performance. Negotiate job creation contracts in public, and be accountable if they turn out not to be true.
Without these actions, the public takes all the risks, there is no freemarket and the corporate entitlements will continue to eviscerate the 99%.
Without these actions we cannot find a way to protect our environment, and not to put too fine a point on it, but without ecosystems there is no economy.
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