On Thursday at 7 p.m., Pee Dee WALL will host “Fracking Stories,” a screening event featuring six short documentaries that explore the public health and environmental consequences of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), and the ways that communities are coming together to respond. The event will provide an opportunity for the audience to learn about the issues, speak with community members, and gain information about how to get involved. The event is free and open to the public and takes place at Hampton B. Allen Library at 120 S. Greene St., Wadesboro.
Recent technological advances in drilling and hydraulic fracturing have enabled the energy industry to extract oil and natural gas from shale rock formations. According to advocates like Food and Water Watch, pollution from fracking, which requires millions of gallons of water per well, has caused widespread environmental and public health problems and created serious, long-term risks to underground water resources. Even when landowners say no to drilling, contamination from fracking nearby can still expose them to toxic chemicals against their will.
“It is clear our elected officials are turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to our concerns. Gas Fracking takes rural communities and turns them into industrial zones — and citizens have little recourse. These short documentaries present the travesties committed by this industry. Come and see why it is crucial that you become involved,” says Denise Lee of Pee Dee WALL.
With countless cases of water contamination documented near drilling sites across the country there is growing concern among North Carolinians about the practice. The six films featured in Fracking Stories are a cautionary tale of what happens when this industry comes to town. They show parents and their children suffering from health problems, neighbors losing rights to their land, and communities facing division over the controversial issue. The Wadesboro screening event is one of 11 events taking place across North Carolina this spring.
“This series of events across the state provides a platform for public education and discussion, leading to organizing action at the local level. Although fracking is now legal and permits can be issued by the state, there is still much that can be done to protect North Carolinians from the dangers of fracking. This requires people coming together in their own communities and taking civic action, to stand in solidarity and send a strong message that the people of NC do not want fracking and we will work to protect our families, public health, quality of life and property rights,” states Kate Dunnagan of The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, one of 21 organizations partnering to present this tour.
The North Carolina screening tour is co-presented by Clean Water for North Carolina, The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Appalachian Voices, and Working Films. Events will take place in Asheville, Durham, Fayetteville, Pembroke, Pittsboro, Raleigh, Reidsville, Salisbury, Wadesboro, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem.