Archived Opinion

Fracking is a ticking time bomb

To the Editor:

As someone with 25-plus years of experience in water and wastewater equipment design, manufacture and installation, I can guarantee that 100 percent of fracked wells will fail at some point in the future and they will release their residual gases and chemicals into our air, water and on our land. All well casings are made with carbon steel, and that material rusts and corrodes upon contact with dissimilar minerals (metals) and moisture. No fracked well is safe, so we are putting millions of wells throughout the USA and our environment at risk along with our precious drinking water and our air quality while transferring this liability to the landowners and their heirs since the fracking companies will be long gone with their profits.

 We need to stop fracking and evaluate this serious threat. If terrorists began injecting these chemicals into our lands, we would be at war. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, co-authored this fracking bill and all Republicans including our governor approved it without apparent long-term oversight or concern for the people. Perhaps it is time to send a message this November that people and their property rights should come before profits.

Larry Stenger

Franklin

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