New report on fracking to be launched at screening of Oscar-nominated Gasland tonight
byWilderness Committee
VANCOUVER – The Oscar-nominated documentary film Gasland is screening
at SFU Woodwards tonight, and will be followed by a forum and
discussion on the dangers of natural gas ‘fracking’ here in British
Columbia. The event will take place Tuesday, September 20 · 6:30pm - 9:30pm at the Mowafaghian Cinema, at SFU Woodwards (149 West Hastings St.)The
screening follows the day-long SFU Sustainability Festival, and is
being co-sponsored by Sustainable SFU, the Sierra Club of BC and the
Wilderness Committee.
The event will also feature the launch of a new Wilderness Committee report, ‘Stop Fracking Now: Gas Industry Threatens Northern Rockies’. The paper examines the impacts of this growing industry practice on human health and the environment.
“Many people in British Columbia are unaware of the scale of
environmental damage and impacts on human health caused by the fracking
process used in shale gas extraction,” said Tria Donaldson, campaigner
for the Wilderness Committee. "Unfortunately, even less people are
aware of how extensively this is happening right here in our own
backyard," said Donaldson.
Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is a process in which
large amounts of water mixed with hazardous chemicals like benzene is
pumped down at high pressures in order to fracture shale rock formations
and release deposits of trapped gas. There are large reserves of shale
gas in northeastern BC.
“There’s nothing ‘natural’ about this gas development in our
province, and it’s important that everyone understand that the issues
presented in the Gasland documentary are relevant for us in BC,” said
Donaldson.
For Immediate Release - September 20, 2011
Contact:
Tria Donaldson, Pacific Coast Campaigner, Wilderness Committee
