What We Still Don't Know About Fracking

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Fracking – short for “hydraulic fracturing” – is a drilling process that involves shattering the ground with a millions of gallons of water, sand, and a mix of poorly understood chemicals. Those chemicals leach into the soil, into the air, and into the water we drink.

Most people take for granted that, given the large-scale expansion of fracking in recent years, the process must have passed some kind of government and scientific muster. But in truth, the headlong rush into fracking has not been matched by improvements in our understanding of the science. In fact, an amendment that I strongly opposed was added to a Bush-era energy law exempting the process of hydraulic fracturing from compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Indeed, we do not even know how much methane (the principle component of natural gas) leaks into the atmosphere through the fracking process. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. It is suspected that the leakage may be large enough to make gas-fueled power generation almost as harmful to the climate as coal-fired generation. We know that micro-earthquakes have increased, apparently as a result of hydraulic fracturing. And we know that individual people have found toxic chemicals in their land, their water, their air, and even their blood. Their stories are told in a new report,Shalefield Stories, released by Environment New Jersey earlier this week.

These stories are anecdotal, and further careful research is necessary to understand the full effects of fracking. But these anecdotes are deeply concerning. The amusing old saying says, “The plural of ‘anecdote’ is ‘data,’” and the anecdotes are piling up. I have called for a fracking moratorium in our region until we better understand fracking’s effect on our environment and our health.

Opportunity Closing to Enroll for Affordable Health Care

The new health care reform law created HealthCare.gov, a one-stop portal to compare and purchase quality health insurance policies at competitive rates for those who don’t have insurance through other means. In order to obtain health insurance coverage for the year 2014 through HealthCare.gov, you must enroll by Monday, March 31.

Thousands of New Jerseyans have already successfully applied for and selected coverage through the new website, including me.  HealthCare.gov also will help you learn if you are eligible for Medicaid or cost-sharing assistance to help cover the cost of your health care premiums. Many people have said to me, after using the website, they were surprised to learn that they are eligible for assistance paying their premiums. More information on health care reform is available on my website, or you can call 1-800-318-2596 for help enrolling in a health care plan.

Please keep in mind that, beginning this year, nearly every American is required to have health care coverage, with a few exceptions. If you do not have health insurance by March 31, you may have to pay a penalty.

We Cannot Stand By

Earlier this week, a CNN camera crew reported evidence that Russian troops are literally digging in on the Crimean peninsula, installing minefields along the new, illegal border they have created with Ukraine. The world community cannot stand by in the face of this unprovoked Russian invasion of another sovereign nation, which clearly violates international law.

I joined the House this week in passing a resolution calling upon the Obama administration to respond by boycotting the upcoming G8 summit and by working with our partners to expel Russia from the G8. The resolution further calls on the new Ukrainian government to implement measures to end political corruption, respect the human rights and civil liberties of ethnic minorities in Ukraine, and more. Although the standing of the U.S. to condemn countries for invading others has weakened in the past decade, much of the world also sees Russia’s action in Ukraine as unacceptable.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress