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Recent posts
- Beartooth landowners victorious in lawsuit against Stillwater County
- PLEASE NOTE: Change in Zoom access code for today’s hearing
- Action alert: Watch court hearing on Zoom, Thursday, 2:00 pm
- Action alert: Stillwater County Planning Board meeting, Wed, 9/4, 7pm
- Must attend! Stillwater County Planning Board: Wednesday, August 7, 7pm
Blog Archives
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Tag Archives: health impacts
New long-term study shows 40% decline in native Wyoming deer population due to oil and gas drilling
An important new study shows that oil and gas activity can have severe negative long-term impacts on native wildlife.
The study, “Mule deer and energy development—Long-term trends of habituation and abundance,” was published last month in Global Change Biology Journal. The authors tracked 187 mule deer for 17 years from 1998-2015 in the upper Green River Basin of western Wyoming, referred to as the Pinedale Anticline. The area is a prime wintering spot for thousands of mule deer, which annually migrate 20-100 miles from summer areas in four different mountain ranges.
The study showed a decline in habitat available to the deer, a dramatic overall decline in the deer population, a corresponding decline in the harvest of deer by local hunters, and s significant reduction in the size of the remaining deer.
Communities contemplating oil and gas development need to be aware of the unintended consequences of that development, and make sure that their way of life — ecological, social, economic — is maintained for the long term. Continue reading
Posted in Fracking Information, Health information
Tagged health impacts, mule deer, Pinedale Anticline, scientific study
2 Comments
New study links fracking to migraines, fatigue, sinus problems
New research suggests that Pennsylvania residents with the highest exposure to active wells are nearly twice as likely to suffer from a combination of migraine headaches, chronic nasal and sinus symptoms and severe fatigue.
The research reminds us that Montana is one of the few oil and gas producing states with no mandated minimum distances, or setbacks, between wellheads and occupied buildings. The Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation recently considered the issue of setbacks, but decided to require only notification of residents when a well is about to be drilled nearby. Carbon County recently became the first county in Montana to pass a county-wide setback restriction as part of the County’s growth plan revision.
This study is part of a growing body of evidence that oil and gas drilling has substantial negative impacts on human health. Montana remains woefully behind in protecting its residents from these health effects. Continue reading
Important new study shows link between fracking chemicals and reproductive and developmental toxicity
A new study from Yale University released this week shows that a large number of chemicals found in fracking fluid and wastewater are associated with reproductive and developmental toxicity.
The study, “A systematic evaluation of chemicals in hydraulic-fracturing fluids and wastewater for reproductive and developmental toxicity,” was published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology on January 6, 2016. In the study, the authors systematically evaluated 1,021 chemicals identified in fracking fluids, wastewater, or both for potential reproductive and developmental toxicity to identify those with the potential for human health impacts.
They researched each against a database, and discovered the following:
-Toxicity information was lacking in the database for 781 chemicals (76%).
-Of the remaining 240 substances, evidence suggested reproductive toxicity for 103 (43%), developmental toxicity for 95 (40%), and both for 41 (17%).
-Of the 157 chemicals associated with toxicity, 67 either already have or have been proposed for a federal water quality standard or guideline.
This data points clearly to the need for local regulation of oil and gas drilling along the Beartooth Front and in other local communities. Continue reading
Watch Josh Fox’s new short film, Gaswork: The Fight for C.J.’s Law, here
Josh Fox, the creator of Gasland and Gasland 2, has released a new 46-minute film on the dangers of fracking jobs. The film is entitled Gaswork: The Fight for C.J.’s Law.
One of the great benefits of oil and gas drilling, according to its proponents, is the creation of new jobs in the communities where fracking occurs. But, according to Fox, many of these jobs are extremely dangerous, exposing workers to chemicals with unknown long-term impacts on human health. The fatality rate of oil field jobs in seven times greater than the national average.
Fox’s new film investigates worker safety and chemical risk. It follows Charlotte Bevins in her fight for CJ’s law, a bill to protect workers named for her brother CJ Bevins, who died at a drilling site.
Click to read the rest of this post and watch the entire film. Continue reading
Posted in Health impacts
Tagged CJ's Law, Gashoax, health impacts, Josh Fox, Phelim McAleer, worker safety
1 Comment
This week: An entire issue of a peer-reviewed journal devoted to public health impacts of oil and gas drilling
This week the peer-reviewed Journal of Environmental Science and Health devoted an entire issue to the public health impacts of fracking in Pennsylvania, a state that now supplies 25% of the natural gas produced in the United States. The issue, titled … Continue reading
The precautionary principle and the science behind the New York hydraulic fracturing ban
Last week’s decision by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to ban high volume hydraulic fracturing for shale gas development has sent shock waves throughout the country. It is the first time a state government has issued a ban on fracking … Continue reading
Don’t miss out: Presentation on health impacts of oil and gas drilling today at Noon. Presentations included.
A reminder about a great learning opportunity available today at Noon. Three experts will be describing the state of the science on the health implications of fracking.The event is offered by the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE), a … Continue reading
Posted in Fracking Information
Tagged David Brown, Detlev elmig, health impacts, Michelle Bamberger, Uintah Valley
3 Comments
More new evidence of public health risk at drilling sites all over the United States (with awesome diagram of chemical health effects)
The evidence documenting the dangers to community health from oil and gas drilling continues to mount. As the shale revolution brings industrial production areas into communities all over the country, more and more people are exposed to increasingly well-documented health … Continue reading
Posted in Fracking Information
Tagged Benzene, community health, Deb Thomas, health impacts, hydrogen sulfide, John Fenton, precautionary principle, toluene, VOCs
5 Comments
Oil drilling and smoking: the precautionary priniciple
“Your throat protection against irritation against cough” Smoking and public health For those of you old enough to remember, learning to smoke used to be pretty much like learning to drive. It was just something you did as a teenager … Continue reading
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