Stacked against him by large Oil Companies. Michael is in, she is dialed in on all of your feedback, welcome. Thank you so much. It is nice to have you here. Lovely to be here everybody talks about fracking but we run across people when you ask them what it means they are not sure. Right. And a hot that arent sure are in places are it doesnt happen. People that live where it does happen have an incredible technological base. A lot of people in the states and areas are there is fracking, saw it comes into their area. Companies were trying to come into her area of Central Valley california and she had very strong opinions on what it means for environments and health, and something we will be digging into in this show. We will be looking into the mix, what is true, where theres research to back it up. And no shortage of strong opinions. Disturbing revelations from two former employees who allege staff was silenced on the issue of fracking, they also say that leaked documents show Health Complaints from residents were systemically ignored. They say calls about skin rashing respiratory problems and anything associated with a list of fracking related buzz words, was to be sidelined. Fracing is short for hydraulic fracturing. That is the process of High Pressure into the ground. And then drilling to extract natural gas. While it can uplift economies it isnt without its critics. And residents living near drilling sites. And the safety and environmental impacts of human caused earthquakes that some have linked to fracking. So is it a right to access fuel, and what if any governments should have in place as the economy and big business go hedo head with human and environmental concerns. Joining us here in the studio is tyson slokom, director of the Energy Program which advocates for affordable clean nudger. On skype, karen monroe, executive director of the new york state pe foal i am council, she supports Natural Gas Drilling and documented its Economic Impact on pennsylvania and new york, in the film the empire state divide. In westport massachusets, a reporter for state impact pennsylvania, she broke the story about Pennsylvania State health didnt employees allegedly being told to ignore fracking related Health Complaints. And in washington, d. C. , mark smith, county commissioner for Bradford County pennsylvania, where more gas wells have been drilled than any other county in that state. Thank you for joining us. Skatety i want to start with you, without your investigation we wouldnt be here today. You have done a series of reports about employees said they were told to ignore fracking related Health Complaints. What evidence did you bath that made you believe this was a real story, and not employees with an ax to grind. I think the most important thing was that i found them, they did come to me. Demanding i do a story or anything like that, and when i spoke with both of them, they were able to corroborate each others stories. There were other people, Public Health researchers different part of the state who also corroborated the things that they said. And later when we got the documented it shows in black and while all the things they had been telling me. You got ahold of documents from two former honk Term Employees of the state department of health, i have a copy of them here, one of them was a list of buzz words that they said were distributed among Health Employees that said things like hair falling out, skin rash, fracking waste water, cancer cluster, what was this list of words . What were they supposed to do with that . What i was originally told, by these two employees that they were supposed to these were a list of things that people may call about, wasnt necessarily comprehensive but if they mentioned these Things Community health nurse working in Fayette County where a lot of drilling is going on, told me that she was told she was to just take the callers name and number, not to discuss any symptoms not to discuss whether or not they had seen a doctor, collect any other information, just to take the callers name and number and to pass it up the chain to a supervisor. And she said she was never informed what happened to the call after that. According to the department of health, what happens to those calls and as the documents show, they go up to the bureau of epidemiology, that supposedly investigated and following up on these calls and complaints, and they have gathers about 51 Health Complaints so far, and have found katie thats fascinating because frac tracker. Org that tracks a lot of things about the oil and gas industry, has state by state laps if you take a look at what they have on pennsylvania what you will see hereny lighted in yellow are reported violations to people called in with complaints about these areas are fracking is happening, whether a drill wells permits and pits, and reported problems across pennsylvania, and you can take a look at the state and see maces are that has happened and it is pretty pervasive, is question is when it comes to help what happened. We reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of health, to join us, they declined. They did provide was a statement which reads in part it is strict protocol that all Public Health inquiries are taken and investigated and that the Public Health and safety comes first on any Public Health issue. With eare working with partners including the p. A. Department of to understand the effects of marcelli shale drilling. You can read the whole statement on our website. So, mark, how much has the state of pennsylvania benefited from shale drilling . Its certainly been an Economic Force in northeast p. A. Obviously, there are a lot of concerns with it. Some of which i share personally and professionally, but we have seen a lot of growth in a rural area that has struggled for a long time. So it makes it a very difficult issue. Theres a Company Called flynn energy that was started by a husband and wife, they started with juan truck, in 2009, he was driving that truck himself, and now he has 70 trucks and moorely 100 employees. And that story rings true throughout the region. So it it makes it a tough issue. There are a lot of concerns but it is certainly a powerful economic driver. And is that intersection tyson, with theres always the rub, right . You have the powerful economics of something, intersecting with potential health or environmental concerns. What are your biggest concerns as related to this. Well, i definitely ski this as a consistent pattern, any time you have one industry that starts to dominate a specific region, it starts to exercise a lot of influence. Other regulations over government procedures and so my concerns are, that we need to balance the economic benefits that do come from fracking, with the need for greater responsibility on the part of the drilling and extractive industry to ensure we are doing in in the most Sustainable Way possible, and mart of that is making sure communities have all the rights available to them to have full say in how development occurs in their communities. What we have seen is efforts to have better zoning law, to protect the quality of life, being opposed very aggressively. By the fracking industry. And local residents local governments. Well, i dont see it that way. I actually before i join the industry energy, i had spent a lot of time in North Eastern pennsylvania, all across the northern tier, and interviewed people in communities and farmers and others that had drilling taking place. Overall i think the picture has been one as mark presented tremendous economic improvement, and the packs that have ten wells on their property today. In rural pennsylvania are seeing their children come back to the farm. They have a quality of life they didnt have before. They are able to get better healthcare, i am disappointed that the state Health Department did not participate in this show, because i think they are the ones that deal with this issue directly. And i think its in the interest of our state. Now i represent the oil and gas industry, it is in the interest of our company to do things in a good way. And the suggestion that it is the environment or its jobs the either or proposition is not accurate. We are dealing with rural areas where frankly, many of the wells that already exist water wells for example, are shallow and many of them based on testing thats been done recently, they were contaminated. People have problems with Drinking Water that has nothing to do with fracking, so for example, in proposed regulations, where i am in new york, they will require testing of water wells anywhere where fracking is going to take place. I think trank spainsy is important, and i think this is something that is changing the face of this nation. Do you think the state department of health in pennsylvania are doing an adequate job in looking out for the citizens of your state. If this story is true, then obviously not. Request the state over the course of drilling when i was first aelectricked when this started. D. E. P. Officials under sworn testimony admitted they were spendingless than ten seconds on these erosion permits for drilling siting and theres a host of issues like that that are out there, and also right now we are dealing with some things that are beyond the Environmental Issues and that is these post production royalty costs that are happening to royalty owners in pennsylvania. I want to bring up something, it isnt the water used thats the problem, it is the ground water contamination, whats your response to that . Certainly it has happened in my county, fined almost 1 million for some methane contamination that happened in pennsylvania there is a record of these things happen, we have to be very cognizant of those issues. What we need to do, and i think you have to have a d. E. P. And a department of health, that is progressive, and working on those issues. We will continue this conversation, thank you to our guest and mark smith, you are sticking around, tyson you will be back again a little later in the show, still ahead, two small new york towns successfully banned fracking this month, how did these communities gain so much momentum . Plus, what does it mean for others that support fracking including hurt local economies. Later, alternatives from behind the county wide man on the practice and how he is still facing a uphill battle with big Oil Companies. Edge of eighteen coming september only on Al Jazeera America israels invasion of gaza continues tonight. We have been hearing a lot of tank shelling coming from where we are, here. Every single one of these buildings shook violently. For continuing coverage of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, stay with Al Jazeera America, your global news leader. Have to choose between at Clean Energy Future and decent jobs. And what the trackers arent telling us, those jobs dont last forever. But the chemicals that infect our waitedder will. Welcome back two small new york towns shook up the nationwide fight against fracking this month, when they successfully won the right to ban it in their areas. Experts lotted these as landmark decisions. Joining us to discuss this more, including the nationwide impact. She is the environmental lawyer who advised the down in its recent case against the multibillion dollars exploration corporation. Who was instrumental in mobilizing her community to support the fracking ban, thank you to both of you for joining us. Linda, do you feel this is a precedent setting case that happened in your town . I do think it sets precedent, to know that just ordinary folks can really do something to change this. And to make them aware of the dangers, in the long run of how much damage can be done, and how few people will gain from it, and how much the rest of us will lose. Helen, you are a Legal Adviser in this case, you have been giving free legal advice to communities similar to drieden, all over the region. Tell me what thats been like . Is what the reception has been like from folks. People are just thrilled to have the right to make local decisions locally. The decision to drill, and engage in fracking in a community, has tremendous impacts on that community. And people dont want those decisions to be made by the state. Or by multinational corporations that dont live in the community. This gives people that right. We have seen a lot of what linda is saying in the simple math of, no state, this is also by frac tracker, that if you take a look, you can see areas the ones that are in red are areas are bans are already in place, where it is specifically not allowed you can see the purple areas are theres moratoriums and yellow where theres a movement to ban fracking, so you can see that in this state, theres been a lot of movement. Karen why so much in new york . And then secondarily, we are talking about the negative effects in terms of health and environment, i want you to address what the negative effects to the economy with these bans in. I guess my first question, though, i am looking at that map, and you mentioned the yellow, i am a little confused because the yellow area is the area where there are towns that have passed resolutions in support of drill hog coincidentally are those towns that sit on top of the heart of the marcelli shale, which is believed to be one of the greatest shale plays in the nation. And those points watch the neighbors prospering, they studied this now for five plus years. And may want to see drilling, my question is will you and your organizations and helen you are funded by the park foundation, which is an antifossil fuel organization, will you allow these communities to have the right of selfdetermination, or will you push into these communities like you did the rest of the state . Well, the distinction in many cases is between people when you look at these communeds that have passed resolutions in favor of gas trimmings they were passed and after people had left meetings without public input. In the town stead imposed moratorium, there is no outside influences coming into those tonights with templates showing how to pass more tore i ams to provide people with a mechanism can i just say . Is that a possibility. I want to address one thing with karen, before you do, linda, and karen, you brought up the issue of selfdetermination, which for me raise it is question of these Oil Companies in are continuing to pursue the rights to drill in communities that have already expressed their desire to not have it in their communities. They are filing suit. It is not even doing business in new york. It was originally the ms. In that case, they are not even doing business any more. You are talking about itself caand cooperstown. Itself cais a university town, where theres a lot of wealth, and people have a great there based on university. You have been waiting please go ahead. Hard to call cordell faculty will thy, certainly theres low employment, but indeed it is not about wealth, it is about education, and having the scientific knowledge to have come to the forefront of understanding what this really was when no one knew. And realizing what the true impact was going to be. This took extensive analysis that the industry had nothing to do one quick point, is that in terms of local control what the industry did to all these other towns, was to threaten them and say as with drieden we will sue you, we have Infinite Resources we will sue your town and your taxpayers will have to pay tens of hundreds of dollars to defend yourself and then you will lose so dont you dare express your democrat wish. What about middle field . Where you had jennifer huntington. We are getting in the weeds here. What we have seen a hot of, is people asking what is the research in this, in this case, wrote in saying that there was no scientific effort or research to prove the harmful nature, there were many saying it is in my community, it has crazy environmental impacts i find it really dangerous, but the question is there data and research to back that up, and in a place like new york, where you are seeing this really come out in mobilization efforts on the ballot, what looks like local movements the question is this enough data to back up those movements . Back in our next segment, we will ask him that question, thank you to our guests. Still ahead alternatives to fracking, we speak to a Community Organizer turned commissioner who got a chance to be the first in the nation to ban Natural Gas Drilling what has been the outcome . Stay with us. Happen were here in the vortex. Only on Al Jazeera America because u. S. Needs an abundant supply of low cost energy, in addition it provides good paying jobs that cannot be outsourced. Welcome back, we are discussing the nationwide debate over fracking and joining us now is john chairman of the mora county commission, he was the heedner getting mora county new mexico a town of 4700 to be the first ever to ban fracking. Back with us on set, director of public citizens Energy Program, thank you for being here, what motivates you to initiate the first county ban on fracking in the u. S. . Well, there was a lot of push within our community im a product of industry here in new mexico, and the impacts the social impacts that are created as a result of this industry coming into a communities as you mentioned 4700 people across 1. 2 million acres industry would definitely change the landscape if they were allowed to come into mora county. One thing that mentioned before the break, was a lot of people saying oh, it is very dangerous, it is going to do this, and that, but really there doesnt seem to be an abundance of scientific evidence, can you clear this up for us . Is. Sure, one of the issues we have seen is how hundreds of families discreet issues of water contamination have been forced to sign nondisclosure agreements. Waythe head of the American Petroleum institute. Water contamination, the company says okay, we will give you some cash, supply you with some Drinking Water all you have to do is sign this agreement, and that forbids you from discussing this with anyone, and there was a famous case in pennsylvania last year, where that including two teenager children that couldnt even write a book report about fracking as a result of this gag order. So what we see is the inability of families to talk freely and candidly about experiencing with pollution from fracking, and so one thing that we need to do in order to help the Public Policy debate is free these hundreds of families across the country, from these gag orders including in these agreements. That money real hi talks so if you look at this man, who is telling me that he makes big money in this industry, it puts food on his table, it is important to him, and you can see how getting money might be what might silence somebody in an issue like this, but what are some of the alternatives in karen toward here brings up. Absolutely, solar power is not something thats a future technology, its here today. The city of austin just sign add solar deal with Recurrent Energy that will supply the city of austin with solar power at a price cheaper than both natural gas and coal. So the fact is, that natural gas long term is not going to be as Sustainable Energy source for the united states. The future of industry will not be a natural source, but lited be technology. You are working on some alternatives as well, alternatives to fracking. We are. We have looked at an Economic Development spend here within mora county. Water is so precious to our growers here in the community. We also have looked at tourism, tourism i reside at 7500 feet above sea level. We have peeked that go up to 12,000 feet. So the tourism that we with have available to us is next to none. So if you bring an industry within the community, and change that landscape, thats something that i think most of us arent able to tolerate. In mora county. All right, on that note, have to end the conversation, thank you to all of our guests today. Mark smith, katie culinary, helen and linda lavigne, until next time, we will see you online. Are following for you. S to stop all u. S. Flights into israel. Investigators are now trying to find new clues from the data recorders. We will tell you hailed could mean a set back for obamacare