Celebrities like Mark Ruffalo and Yoko Ono have spoken out against fracking, but they are not the individuals most likely to be affected by the boom in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for oil.
Low-income communities are the most likely to suffer the most devastating effects of climate change and environmental pollution and individuals are joining with communities to fight against fracking. How do small groups of citizens fight against an industry that received $8 billion in government subsidies last year? Deboarah Cipolla-Dennis of Dryden, NY worked with her town to ban fracking and stop an oil company from drilling in their community.
After a long, at times contentious debate over the damage fracking causes to the environment and the water supply, Uni Blake, Environmental Director of Hometown Energy Group, suggested that the economic benefits for the rural poor made the risks posed by fracking worthwhile and helpful to farmers. Green for All’s Phaedra Ellis Lamkins had a ready reply.
“I just don’t think what you’re saying is true,” Ellis Lamkins said, pointing to a community in Idaho in which farmers worked together to increase solar power production and free themselves from reliance on costly fossil fuels. “What will it take for us to innovate in the technologies that are growing and are beneficial for our communities?”
Meredith Clark
Meredith Clark is a freelance writer and editor. She was previously a senior news producer for "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj," a reporter with MSNBC.com, the digital politics and culture editor at Glamour and a senior news and politics editor at Refinery29. She has written for Vulture, Rolling Stone, Self, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast and Bustle. Recommended
