Letter to the editor: Fracking should be kept away from county parks
The Allegheny County executive’s veto of Bill 12162-22 must be overturned. Contact your Allegheny County Council representative today.
The eighth edition of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking was released in May by Concerned Health Professionals of New York (a project of the Science and Environmental Health Network) and Physicians for Social Responsibility (winner of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize). By bringing together and analyzing the evidence comprehensively, the report provides an assessment of the state of the fracking industry and its impacts. Amidst the report’s analysis are three big-picture findings that are essential for the public and policymakers to understand. I will mention only the one that is relevant to Bill 12162-22.
Strong evidence from hundreds of studies demonstrates that drilling, fracking, storing, transporting and disposing of oil and gas cause serious harm to human health. Toxic air pollution and water contamination accompany fracking and associated activities everywhere.
In the article “West Deer residents express concerns about proposed fracking at Sunday meeting” (May 22, TribLIVE), Mary Kay Kalivoda said: “People may have sold their drilling rights, but they didn’t give up their rights to clean water. They didn’t give up their rights to clean air. We’re not against fracking, but we are against people bringing a heavy industrial site to a residential area.”
We must join her to keep heavy industry away from our county parks. A setback of 650 feet is not enough to avoid exposure to air and water pollution.
Dr. Barbara Brandom
Highland Park
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