Tell EPA: Our Ocean's Not a Dump For Fracking
Fracking is an inherently dangerous and dirty activity -- whether it happens on land or offshore.
What's more, oil companies have EPA permission to discharge up to 9 billion gallons of fracking wastewater into the ocean off California's coast -- as though it's a dump instead of a cherished home for all kinds of rare and vulnerable wildlife.
Whales, dolphins, sea turtles and sea otters have no way of defending themselves. And the burden of proof shouldn't be on the public either to decide which and how many of these chemicals are toxic.
The EPA has a clear responsibility to intervene to protect our health and wildlife from oil companies fracking off our coasts.
Take action below -- urge the agency to ban the toxic practice of dumping fracking chemicals into the ocean.
I am writing to urge you to bring an immediate ban to the practice of discharging fracking chemicals into our oceans. Fracking chemicals threaten wildlife and public health, and they do not belong in the ocean or anywhere near our beaches.
Studies show that many of the nearly 250 chemicals used in fracking wells are toxic to people and wildlife like whales, dolphins and sea otters. Some chemicals are known carcinogens; others cause immune and nervous-system damage. And still others remain in the dubious category of "unknown" -- oil companies say they're "trade secrets," and the EPA blindly assumes they're benign.
I support the petition from the Center for Biological Diversity that seeks to ban fracking waste discharges, strengthen ocean discharge criteria, and create strong effluent-limitation guidelines for unconventional oil drilling.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
