Fracking Truth to Fracking Power by Sandra Steingraber, August 1, 2012, Huffingtonpost
The scientific analysis that is supposed to provide our Governor the facts and information he needs to make a crucial decision was crafted with the guidance of the gas industry, not of the state’s scientists. No wonder the draft document bears little resemblance to an impartial, comprehensive scientific review. No wonder that, after four years of study, we still cannot answer fundamental questions:
Will fracking in New York kill more people than it will employ?
Who will be harmed by fracking, and how much will those injuries cost?
For that analysis, I’m pleased that my testimony today is followed by that of Elaine Hill, who has new, groundbreaking research to share from Pennsylvania on the impacts of natural gas extraction on the health of newborn babies. I would like to commend Ms. Hill for her courage in coming forward and sharing her data. She is doing so because I asked her to. As a doctoral student, she has her whole career in front of her and has no protection of tenure. She is bringing forth the first population-based, observational evidence for harm to humans living near drilling and fracking operations. That population is newborn babies.
[Refer also to:
Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Infant Health: Evidence from Pennsylvania by Elaine L. Hill, July 2012 ]