Earth Democracy tours fracking sites

By Jean Hays, Fresno CA Branch

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. We members of the WILPF Fresno’s Earth Democracy group learned first-hand, along with 29 others, what it means to be up close and personal to a field where fracking is and has been going on for years.

A few of us WILPFers had been a part of a fracking mini-tour two years ago where we went to California’s Kern County, home of a large percentage of fracking sites, to witness the devastation caused by this practice. At that time we commented to each other that we wished everyone could see what we saw. That idea stayed in our minds and inspired us to apply for and receive a WILPF mini-grant to organize another, larger, fracking tour, and to hire someone to film it. We took on another partner, Fresnans Against Fracking, who helped finance the tour, as well as develop a booklet/fact sheet, “An Oil Field Primer.” The event happened on Nov. 14, when we departed from Fresno at 8 a.m. in four rented vans to meet our “tour guide” in Bakersfield, about 100 miles south of Fresno, a city surrounded by fracking fields on every side. Tom Frantz, our amazing guide grew up in this area, is a retired high school teacher and works tirelessly to educate people on the dangers of fracking and the related loss of crops, clean air, and safe drinking water. 

First stop was Panorama Bluffs in Bakersfield. A beautiful trail spans the edge of the Bluffs on the outskirts of the city. Ordinarily one could view the Kern River below. Air quality was so bad (caused by a co-generating plant on the other side of the river) that we could barely see the pumping rigs which were very close to livestock and to some beautiful, large homes. In this, as in other areas, some coal is still used to generate power to the pumping/fracking process.

Next stop was a hillside just outside the Bakersfield city limits where we saw oil field waste water being sprayed continuously. Despite the water, what little plant life we saw was stunted and sparse. Some of this “produced” water makes its way into Cottonwood Creek, which drains into the Kern River where it dumps its fracking chemicals and other pollutants. 

Our next site was a trip down a newly-constructed road leading to two large, steaming holding ponds. This water (from fracking and drilling), laden with chemicals, is being sent to farmers for irrigation. It is called “produced” water. Our vans stopped and we got out for a closer look, being careful not to get too close, lest the fumes from the ponds make us ill. As we were looking around, 4 large security trucks full of guards pulled up and told us we could not stay because this was private land. Tom, our guide, told them he had not been told before that he could not drive up to the ponds. Nevertheless, we were told to get in our vans and were herded out of the area by two trucks leading us and another two bringing up the rear.

Making our way northward towards the towns of Wasco and Shafter, we stopped at the Wasco oil field processing center for fracked oil wells. Here we saw tanks, fracked oil wells, boilers, trucks, injection wells and flares surrounded by prime farmland. This was an area of classic horizontal drilling and fracking. Nut and citrus trees planted in fields closest to the wells were visibly suffering. 

We ended our tour in Shafter, where we saw several sites of contamination from fracked oil well activities and impacts on nearby residents. This was similar to Wasco, but activity is closer to residences and schools. Some fracked oil wells are in the city, using city fire hydrants to obtain water for the fracking process. All this despite our serious drought! We stopped by an elementary school where, looking out from the play yard, one could see flares burning from the oil rigs pumping process.

We were told by several residents in the Bakersfield area that one does not question or criticize the oil companies about their activities which potentially cause damage to crops, land, and health. Oil is still King here in Kern County. Politicians, from city to county to state, cannot expect to be re-elected if they oppose Big Oil.

WILPF thinks it’s time for a change. We are not afraid. How about you? Is fracking taking place in your area? Find out. If it is happening, go out and witness it, then report back and begin to work to stop it. Contact Jean Hays

Our DVD will be ready for you to view soon for purchase. We invite you to watch it and then, go out and do what Jane Addams would have done: work to preserve our right to a clean, safe, healthy environment so that future generations may live in a thriving, beautiful planet.

PHOTO WITH FRESNO: WILPF Earth Democracy members and Fresnans Against Fracking explore Kern County sites Nov. 14, 2015.