In an open letter, award-winning actor and activist Mark Ruffalo and filmmaker John Bowermaster respectfully ask President Obama to give immediate attention to the hazards of fracking and the millions of people affected by it. The Commander in Chief has only days left in office and could make a profound environmental difference. The letter by Ruffalo and Bowermaster was published in Scribd on Tuesday. Their message begins forthright.
“We are writing to ask you to take action addressing fracking in your last 100 days in office. Over the course of your Administration, oil and gas drilling and fracking have dramatically increased across the nation. As a result, over 17 million Americans now live within one mile of a well pad. While we are grateful for your leadership in acknowledging climate change, the expansion of drilling and fracking for oil and gas during your presidency and its disastrous impact on the climate threaten to undermine the legacy of this significant work ... This extreme form of fossil fuel extraction that you have supported is contaminating people’s drinking water, polluting the air, and making more and more families sick.”
Ruffalo and Bowermaster created a documentary called, “Dear President Obama: The Clean Energy Revolution is Now.”
“We spent three years interviewing people around this country giving voice to some of the everyday Americans who have become victims of drilling and fracking and drawing on experts to explain the widespread problems and harms.
The filmmakers ask President Obama to view the documentary with his energy and environmental advisors—and consider meeting with impacted residents/victims of fracking, face to face, giving the same attention to them as he’s given oil, gas and environmental industry representatives. Ruffalo and Bowermaster also request federal investigations be made that better explore the hazards of fracking and further educate the public.
In the letter’s conclusion Ruffalo and Bowermaster write:
“Finally, Fracking is an issue that is not going away and in fact, the more we learn about the process, the more we learn about the lasting harm it will inflict on people, drinking water, the environment and the climate. You still have time to take action before you leave office. During your time in office, science has overwhelmingly found that fracking is not clean, not safe, and must not be part of our energy future. With this evidence states like New York banned fradckin and other states put a halt to it. But there is a dire need for action and leadership at the federal level. You still have time before you leave.
In essence, Ruffalo and Bowermaster want to see President Obama leave office with the most decisive and extensive environmental legacy yet—by advocating for millions of people and, at minimum, the attenuation of fracking in the United Sates. The decision is in his hands.
You can read the entire letter by Ruffalo and Bowermaster here. It’s well worth an extra few minutes. Cheers to the work they’ve done over the years and to all those who continue to fight for the people , the environment and the planet.