SICKENING: Obama's offshore fracking dumps billions of gallons of toxic chemicals into ocean, threatening marine life with total extinction

Thursday, July 14, 2016 by: Isabelle Z.
Tags: Obama administration, fracking, Gulf of Mexico

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(NaturalNews) A report issued by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) last month showed that the Obama administration issued more than 1,200 licenses for offshore fracking in the years from 2010 to 2014. Those with even the slightest familiarity with the effects of fracking will surely find this outrageous, but the rest of the story is even worse.

A lawyer for the CBD, Kristen Monsell, said that authorities reached this decision without even taking the time to carry out any sort of environmental analysis to assess the impact on fracking-endangered species, nor did they involve the public in their decision. She expressed concern that the government would allow this without first studying the impact that dumping these chemicals directly into the ocean would have on species and habitats.

The controversial offshore fracking process, which entails injecting water, chemicals and sand into rocks at high pressure to spur the flow of gas, has been carried out in hundreds of wells situated in the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the habitat of loggerhead turtles. Billions of gallons have been dumped into the ocean as a result of fracking.

Fracking has revolutionized the oil industry, and it is having an equally transformative effect on the environment – and not in a good way. The CBD has found that oil companies habitually used more than 10 highly toxic chemicals off the coast of California that had the power to harm or even kill marine species. In addition, a 2014 report by the NGO said that fracking could expose coastal areas to pollutants in the air that lead to cancer and many other illnesses.

Chemicals used in fracking among the world's most toxic

Monsell was quick to add that the chemicals that offshore fracking uses are some of the most toxic in the world when it comes to aquatic life. This could have devastating consequences for the Gulf of Mexico, which is the site of one of the nation's most biologically diverse productive ecosystems. It's hard to believe that the government would allow companies to frack as much as they want there, but that's exactly what has happened.

Fracking has also been known to poison drinking water. For example, wastewater from a fracking site contaminated underground drinking water sources in Pavillion, Wisconsin, recently, rendering the water unsafe to use. One can only imagine what sort of impact this might have on a body of water as large as the Gulf of Mexico.

Fracking not a good long-term solution

In addition to its negative impact on the environment, environmentalists have also expressed concerns that fracking distracts gas and oil companies as well as governments from investing in renewable energy sources, instead encouraging them to continue to rely on fossil fuels.

If the government would allow toxic chemicals to be dumped into the ocean and push marine life toward extinction, one has to wonder just what other dangerous acts they might endorse without carrying out due diligence. Fracking could be only the beginning, and the possibilities of them green-lighting more water poisoning in the future can keep a person up at night.

One way to gain peace of mind in uncertain times is by preparing for the unexpected, and stocking up on organic emergency survival food is a good place to start. It's something that you hope you'll never use, but you'll certainly be glad you have it if the need does indeed arise.

Sources include:

RT.com

RT.com

Science.NaturalNews.com