Prohibition of fracking needed now

I ask you to seriously consider contacting your state representatives, Mike Smiddy at 309-848-9098 (email repsmiddy@gmail.com) and Tom Demmer at 217-782-0535 (email rep@tomdemmer.com); and your state senators, Mike Jacobs at 309-797-0001 or Tim Bivins at 815-284-0045.

Urge them to co-sponsor a moratorium on fracking with a provision for an independent, science-based investigative task force this legislative session. Let’s not start something that could cause tremendous harm.

These are some of the concerns regarding fracking.

1) Contamination of drinking and ground water.

2) Contamination of our food supply, crops and farm animals.

3) Human health difficulties.

4) Gas seepage, including radioactive radon, into homes.

5) Release of methane gas into the air, which contributes to global warming.

6) Earthquake concerns especially along known fault lines that are near nuclear plants. 

7) Use of large quantities of fresh water that is returned without elimination of numerous toxic chemicals, including radioactive elements.

8) Sustained heavy truck traffic on rural roads.

Let’s not rush into fracking before weighing all the repercussions. Corporations have a habit of externalizing their wastes into the air, land and water. The public ends up paying for the cleanup and suffering any transmitted illnesses.

A scientific study should be conducted regarding the fracking that occurs in many states, including New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Colorado. Some of those same states are now banning fracking.