Dan Boren: Gasland Has Many Inaccuracies
U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, said in a short statement today that he hasn’t seen the HBO documentary “Gasland” that began airing last night but that it contains “many inaccuracies.”
Boren is shown in the movie at a House hearing defending the process known as hydraulic fracturing, in which water, sand and chemicals are injected into a well to break up rock and free the flow of gas. Boren says at the hearing that opponents are “searching for a problem that does not exist.” And he asks witnesses at the hearing whether the country would be more dependent on foreign energy if companies were not allowed to use hydraulic fracturing.
Gasland is a muckraking documentary that blames natural gas drilling for water and air pollution in several states. People in the film accuse natural gas companies of being insensitive to the environment and regulators are portrayed as indifferent or incompetent.
Boren, who has been fighting against a proposal that give the federal government authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing _ it is currently overseen by states _ said today:
“I have not seen the movie in question but believe that it contains many inaccuracies. In Oklahoma, we have a proud heritage in the energy sector. We have seen the proper regulation of hydraulic fracturing at the state level.”
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Comments
Muckraking? Really? Facts don’t constitute “muckraking”. Hydraulic fracturing DOES expose subterranean water flows to natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing is nothing but a shortcut to save the company money and the Gulf Oil Gusher is an excellent example of shortcuts that save money. Maybe Boren, or any other person who blindly defends anything natural gas companies do should maybe watch, read or research something before the dismiss it as fiction. He should bury his head…unless it is in the town of Pitcher.
Unfortunately a movie that could have prompted intelligent dialog and regulation does appear to be riddled with errors and inaccuracies. Many of these people complaining about gas in their water drilled their water wells into aquifers with BIOGENCIC, meaning naturally occuring shallow gas, that is not the same gas these companies are fracturing for. This gas is often deeper and separate from what’s getting into these water wells.
U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, Oklahoma has a proud heritage of electing ignorant congressmen for its state that make such comments publicly.
Boren in Gasland: “I am sick and tired of everyone picking on the gas companies. I am proud to be supported by gas companies.” What a joke politicians like him are. Congress is not supported by companies; you are there, Mr. Boren, to represent the PEOPLE in your district, not a giant oil company based in Texas.
This guy, Boren, is pandering to the gas and oil companies who are employing workers in his state. He jumps to conclusions before even reading or understanding the facts about gas drilling. He is obviously tight with the gas lobbyists and he should be ashamed of himself. How about we have Cabot put some gas drilling sites next door to your home and see how you and your family feel about the water you drink and air you breath after a few months of drilling? And you still really don’t think it is a bad idea to require fracking to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act? You are so obtuse.
“Without this fracturing, how much more would we have to depend on foreign oil, and terrorism?”
I love how easily politicians play the terrorism card. It’s an insult to all of us each time this bogeyman is dragged out in an attempt to get the electorate to do something.
Fear is being used as a tool to control the masses – that’s the way they [Boren] think of us, ‘the masses’ – the great, unwashed, unthinking, fearful mob who can be manipulated by the simple invocation of tired, over-used phrases ie ‘Terrorism’, ‘God Fearing’, ‘Great Nation’, ‘Free World’, etc.
Well I won’t ever be that way. An issue first and foremost stands on it’s own, before it need be considered in a greater context.
How about providing water for the entire Boren family, including his pets, from one of these affected homes. Let us see him drinking and see if there is a problem that does not exist. Kick this moron out of office ASAP, the interests he represents is not the people. They deserve better.
Several laws need to be passed. One) every politician is held accountable and responsible for laws passed in his/her name after they are booted out of office. Two) no politician should be able to work in any industry that they have passed laws for while in office,once booted out, Three) Every politician must severe double the hours in community service ( time spent in office) after serving their pennitentary time for failing law number one. This Mr Boren is revolting, who in their right mind would vote for him?
To quote Mr Boren as it says above
“We have seen the proper regulation of hydraulic fracturing at the state level.”
Yes you are 100% correct but STATE LEVEL is something that needs to be revised as it clearly isn’t good enough, just because the regulations state a certain level does not mean they are correct, all environmental and safety procedures are put into place because an “incident” occurs SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) a book dealing with safety regs on ships was only published because of the titanic and is REGULARLY updated, MARPOL (MARine POLlution) took 5 years to come into effect because it was going to cost the oil companies too much to implement it’s procedures, and it only dealt with Oil, now that deals with 6 areas of the environment, and why is it a ship has to be 25 miles from the US coast before it is allowed to discharge oily water with an oil content of a maximum of 0.0015% oil, yet these “frackers” are allowed to pump this stuff with 1% chemical into the soil.
Before we woke up and changed things when people died, now we simply don’t care. WAKE UP AMERICA.
It’s amazing to me that Mr. Boren can commet about inaccuracies in the film when he has not even seen the documentary.
Firstly ‘muckraking’ certainly IS a term used to blandly discredited journalism with the nerve to ask inconvenient questions. And secondly, whether a documentary has any inaccuracies or not, how can a campaign to keep a natural resources industry immune from environmental regulation possibly have merit? In whose interests do these politicians serve? And what on Earth does gas drilling have to do with – as Boren suggests – terrorism?!
The use of energy in the creation of such technology which is used to extract further energy resources that are finite is a missed and long term costly mistake.
Resources should be used to create technologies that instead create opportunities for energy not to be used.
The addition of Terroism in Mr Boren’s reply made me laugh a little ….. Hegemony is an intersting things we just wouldn’t get anywhere otherwise.
But Boran doesnt strike me as someone who is making meta decisions – he is just another mouth making the same shapes.
how stupid can u be Gasland Has Many Inaccuracies but he hasnt seen it so how does he know it has many inaccuracies i can believe somebody like him would be chosen to represent the ppl wen it seems he talks whitout knowing what he talking about but more like he is profiting of the misery of other ppl why doesnt he drink that water if its so safe i wanna see him drink it for a long period of time he should be fired ppl like him make me sick all he cares is the money and not the ppl he should be representing and helping.
U.S Rep. Dan Boren is a Republican masked as a Democrat. He’s opposed several laws in favor of environmental protection, and has the audacity to deny the danger of natural gas drilling. His very nature offends me. The fact that someone so ignorant and was serving on the committee of natural resources, proves that we have monkeys serving our so-called “interest”. I pray that all his positions in government come to an end before he does any more damage.
Wait, he hasn’t seen the movie, yet he believes it’s inaccurate? What kind of nonsense is that?