Marco Barnut

Pd. 1

11/4/14

Is Fracking a Good Idea? Letters

Dear Congressman Stackhouse,
Thank you for accepting this letter and on behalf of Michael Brune who is the
executive director of the Sierra Club, we urge you to make the right choice and pass
The Exploratory Fracking and Extraction Act. Here are some well conducted reasons
why fracking is a terrible idea and should be terminated. Due to fracking, we have
seen increased air pollution, threats to the Delaware River Basin, and threats of
chemicals being spilled and contaminating drinking water. Natural gas has 20x the
effect CO2 emissions have on the environment over the course of 100 years.
Natural gas is composed of methane which is much more harmful than CO2.
According to researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) in late 2012 reconfirmed earlier findings of high rates of methane leakage
from natural gas fields. The Delaware River Basin is an important and primary
source of clean water for 15 million people. These people depend on this water and
cannot live without it. In 1961, the first act to save a river basin took effect due to
John F. Kennedy's and the federal government's actions. The river basin is
overlooked hourly and researchers take samples to justify the hardness of the
water, the quality of the water, and the quantity of the water. Fracking next to a
river basin will most likely cause spills which will result in the contamination of the
river basin. Another reason why fracking is a bad idea is because of the danger of
toxic chemicals being spread by floods or spills. According to Princeton Plainsboro
Hospital The toxic chemicals that come with fracking can cause mood swings which
can turn into suicide or murder attempts, inhalation of chemicals which will in turn

damage the lungs and or liver and kidney functions, and cause the destruction of
many animals and their habitats. I urge you once again to make the right decision
and think of all the bad effects this act can produce if not passed. The bad effects
outweigh the good on almost every single line. Thank you for your consideration
and I trust you will make the right decision.
Sincerely,
Marco Barnut, Michael Brune's assistant