GASLAND

Here me out on this one.

A few months ago, I heard an interview on "Fresh Air" (NPR program) with Josh Fox about his newly released film documentary, "GASLAND." It caught my attention, not only for the subject matter, methods by which natural gas is obtained, but because the interviewee talked about the fact that in the beginning, he really had no intention of creating a documentary; he was simply investigating a little to be able to make an educated decision before signing his land over to natural gas drilling. What he found is hair raising.

Through legal loopholes, the natural gas companies are not subject to regulation under either the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act; yet thousands of Americans across the nation where natural gas drilling is occurring are experiencing very serious health and safety hazards. This isn't just the environment we're talking about. This isn't just a "tree-hugger's" concern. This is about people not being able to use their well water for showers, laundry or much less to drink. This is about known carcinogens being shot into the earth and leaking into the water supply.

So now that I can download movies, I downloaded this one. Please watch it. As with any media you've got to be aware of slanting, but you can see in the film, the natural gas companies wouldn't talk. The EPA wouldn't talk. The people interviewed were desperate for someone to talk to.

Decide for yourself. But at the very least, the natural gas companies need to be held to the safety standards of any other polluting company.