This documentary film by Josh Fox that exposes the devastating impact that gas drilling has on America’s environment. With American energy firms looking for new petroleum sources, natural gas is becoming increasingly important and they have set their sights on the Marcellus Shale Field. The film focuses on hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’, which is a process necessary for gas exploration. Hydraulic fracturing is a process which involves drilling and injection of fluid into the ground at a high pressure so as to fracture shale rocks and in turn releasing the gas inside. The fluid is usually chemically treated water which is pumped down in millions of gallons so as to crack the rock open. However, the chemicals have dangerous effects on the domestic water supply. For example, in the documentary, there is a local person who puts a lighter to his kitchen tap which happens to go up in a ball of flame.
The film also exposes how large tracts of beautiful land are turned into dangerous dumps of sludge. In addition to land pollution, other potential damages include those to air quality, noise as well as visual impact. The chemicals pumped into the ground are a huge environmental risk to aquifers. Thus, Fox’s documentary clearly highlights the environmental as well as social concerns that are created by the exploration of gas. From the film, it is clear that there were environmental protection restrictions imposed on fracking, but these were removed by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. And while families are offered huge sums of money for the land, they are oblivious of the possible effects of fracking. It is after a while that they discover that their water is not drinkable. This is a documentary film that highlights a critical environmental issue facing America, and which needs to be addressed through policy.
Works Cited
Fox, Josh. Gasland. HBO Documentary Films. Web. 19 Sept. 2013. http://vimeo.com/38843993
