Other than being a good citizen of the world (or at least TRYING to), why am I, a resident of NY, concerned about this?
Before I get into that, hydrofracking is short for hydraulic fracturing. It uses a pressurized fluid aiming at the veins of the rock bed with the intent of releasing from the soil & then capturing untapped oil, natural gas, & coal steam.
One of the problems is that the hydrofracking companies haven't exactly been forthcoming in letting the public & regulators know what is exactly in their pressure streams. We know its a chemicalized-water mix but no one is really sure what the percentages are. How can we when the companies are protecting "trade secrets"?
This leads to a bigger question. Is & will our ground water be safe?
Officially, the journey is still out. Unofficially when I witness tap water literally be set on fire by the seeped in gas, I'd say no.
Why am I concerned?
The fracking industry has blitzed all levels of my state government to open new drilling permits in the Marcellus Shale which located in along the entire New York-Pennsylvania border. They tout that it'll bring employment to an economically depressed region. If I lived along the NY-PA border, I'd be extremely concerned about allowing fracking. Yes, you may get (altogether now) "jobs, jobs, jobs" but what good are "jobs, jobs, jobs" if one cannot rely on the drinking water even if its for everyday use (like toilet flushing, cooking, laundry). This effects not only the people but also the businesses & industries who have nothing to do with fracking.
If corporations are people & are thus deserving of constitutional rights (thank you Citizens United), how are these actions one of a responsible citizen?
If my State Government is smart & concerned about anything besides votes, they'll defeat new hydrofracking permits. Considering I know very well how functional they actually are (some would say crooked), I'm trying not to get my hopes up.
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In other news...
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This is Hannah at the bottom with her friend's child (the mother simply wasn't in the frame) & her little own little one.
Little ones I find are tough to direct, so I simply just kinda let them do their own thing & follow along. I approached the entire shoot with a "Day at the Playground" documentary shooting perspective. It was a refreshing change of pace.
Comment away on any part of this if you so desire.
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