‘Gasland’ Review: Slick, Well Done, Intellectually Incomplete
by Ann McElhinneyLast night I watched ‘Gasland’ for the first time. ‘Gasland’ was nominated this year for an Oscar along with 5 other documentaries (‘Waiting for Superman’ did not make the cut – apparently criticizing teachers rules you out of consideration.
Gasland is very pretty, the shots are artistic and the editing is slick and attractive. Josh Fox, the film’s director and narrator, has a soft laid back tone that is alluring and soothing. He can play the banjo and he does. He presents himself as a regular guy from Pennsylvania who was offered $100,000 to allow an energy company extract natural gas from his land. He turned them down. Fox says he loves his home and has been hearing bad things about how the gas is extracted.
—–
Fox sets out to expose the “scandal” of fracking – a process to extract natural gas from shale by using a cocktail of chemicals and a lot of water. By using this method America will get about 100 years worth of energy.
The bad news, according to ‘Gasland,’ is that fracking is killing countless unsuspecting poor people all over the US. Pancreatic cancer, dizziness, loss of sense of taste and smell, ringing in ears, disorientation, coughing, asthma, swelling, tumors and death are all caused by fracking according to the film. This is powerful stuff, compelling. On one side there are the greedy energy companies and on the other poor rural families being poisoned to death.
Incredible that this would happen here in the US. I waited for the killer interview with medical experts in toxicology or pathology and for even one of the of the many cases of illness and death to be closely examined and the evidence of a connection laid bare for all to see. It didn’t come. Why would Josh Fox not investigate the story further? Why would he not interview the kind of experts who would confirm the cause of the illnesses and deaths?
Fox says at one point: “As a detective, I was totally out of my league”. In truth, it’s not so much that he is out of the league of investigative reporters, but that he didn’t want to join them. If he had done any investigation he would find there is no credible, independent evidence that shows fracking for natural gas poses any risk to human health.
But fracking is too good of a story to be spoiled by serious investigation. The truth is that fracking is the feelgood story of the decade. It has meant an economic boom to hundreds of thousands of rural poor in America who until now had owned what was often fairly unproductive land. Now they still own the land but are getting paid huge sums of money to allow gas companies access.
Further investigation by Fox would have uncovered that if you really want to Make Poverty History, as the hipsters claim they do, then people need cheap, plentiful energy to run the cities, hospitals factories and universities.
Why can’t we just have solar panels instead, he says at one point. It’s a very interesting idea. A bit like why can’t we all just get along and not have wars or why can’t we have candy for breakfast. However, this type of juvenile thinking doesn’t really help solve the energy needs of the US or the rest of the world for that matter. It is such a shame Gasland didn’t answer more of its own questions, we might have ended with a great documentary if he had.
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49 Comments
Well, we cant exactly have facts when it comes to hollywood-backed documentaries now can we?
Fracking Leftists Stooges…..
I live in Pa. and there has been a lot of noise about all the dangers of "fracking" – somewhat vague sounding horror stories which I have neither the aptitude nor the knowledge to understand the truth.
All I have is the knowledge that the people who oppose the process are cut from the same cloth as the people who have lied about DDT, AIDS, AGW and every other bogeyman of the last 50 years.
So I assume they are greatly exaggerating if not outright lying.
When I was growing up, doctors always pointed out that no one could show scientifically how cigarettes led to lung cancer, but it was obvious to all that almost every lung cancer victim had been a smoker.
I don't know what the truth is about fracking, but I would like to hear the arguments before B. Hussein O. Jr.'s EPA begins designing bogus regulations, making it more important than ever to buy our own oil from in the Gulf from Brazil.
I know that fracking is dangerous and causes cancer. It was proven by my friend who also proved that muggers are hiding under cars at the mall ready to slash my tendons so I can't run away and his wife (a nurse) admitted Richard Gere to her hospital.
And don't forget, IT IS FOR THE CHILDREN!
If they won't frack for their gas, I can always eat an extra plate of beans. It may not cause cancer, but my wife still says it turns me into a hazardous waste site.
"The bad news, according to ‘Gasland,’ is that fracking is killing countless unsuspecting poor people all over the US."
It's obvious this isn't the good kind of "frakking" from Battlestar Galactica.
From OSHA to EPA to the liberal Justice system and other departments, it seems feelings is
all that matters. It is a liberal disease, facts have never slowed down a liberal argument.
The examples are endless. if you do that, then this may happen, so we can't have that.
Particularly when it conflicts with liberal dogma. Just another fabrication.
At the old homestead in Ohio the "evil" gas extractors fooled my parents into allowing the drilling.
But guess what we got free natural gas from the well.
That was SWEET.
Sign that you have a good idea: Some dumbass left-winger makes a crockumentary saying its a bad idea.
How exactly is this affecting "poor" people – looks to me it affect those who have a WELL – and most people that I know who have that are NOT poor.
Once again, the psychotic and destructive eco-crusade against any and all fossil fuels rears it's ugly head and dishonestly smears a profitable and useful energy source. Josh Fox is just another proggie tool, and a self-centered NIMBY at that.
I lived in Midland Texas for 6 months in ’80-’81 and they were fracking oil and gas wells back then, so I ask, why suddenly the big stink over fracking?
"Why can’t we just have solar panels instead, he says at one point. It’s a very interesting idea. A bit like why can’t we all just get along and not have wars or why can’t we have candy for breakfast. However, this type of juvenile thinking doesn’t really help solve the energy needs of the US or the rest of the world for that matter. It is such a shame Gasland didn’t answer more of its own questions, we might have ended with a great documentary if he had."
BINGO! That pretty much sums up the thinking of the drones on the Left.
Yeah, wasn't there a story about a boy who cried wolf?
It's amazing – as I have gotten older I have realized more and more that those quaint old stories and fables from waaay back when, actually are based in reality and common sense.
They've been doing it for over 60 years and as far as I know, there's not been one documented case in Texas where hydraulic fracturing has led to groundwater pollution.
You know what would make an even better documentary? Where the money comes for these attacks on conventional energy production. When 300 million bucks was used to try to convince people to accept carbon taxes, you know there's lots of money out there for these kinds of propaganda efforts.
If these allegations are true, there is legal remedy already in place to address the situation.
I'm sure that there are more than one or two "Pigford" lawyers out there ready to take advantage of the situation.
Perhaps they STOPPED doing it when oil prices went down and now that they have gone back up they are starting to do it again.
It's used in nearly every well drilled, be it oil or gas. The price of gas is way down compared to a few years ago.
The thing I find most amusing is how people are calling for more regulation, when the regulatory agencies have certified the procedure to be safe.
I see that Gasland is on dailymotion if you care to watch – early in the first part it says that the 2005 energy bill exempts the oil and gas industry from the Safe Drinking Water act and many others. Sort of like how the pharmaceutical industries got the vaccine makers to be IMMUNE from being sued for the damages they do (why do that if it is safe?)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xgm3pb_gasland-1...
I've seen it. "It says"…..It says a lot of things that are false. That bill does not exempt the petroleum industry from the Safe Drinking Water act. The actual, complete quote from the film is: “What I didn’t know was that the 2005 energy bill pushed through Congress by Dick Cheney exempts the oil and natural gas industries from Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Superfund law, and about a dozen other environmental and Democratic regulations.".
That's a lie. The industry is regulated by every one of those laws. What ISN'T regulated by the act is hydraulic fracturing, but that particular procedure is regulated by individual states, as it should be.
Also, it wasn't "pushed through" by Cheney. I'm pretty sure the only power a VP has is to break a tie in the Senate. The Safe Drinking Water act was passed in '74; the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was passed when Cheney was in office…seems to me that was Fox trying to dishonestly associate "Darth Vader" with exempting companies from the earlier law. Be that as it may, the Energy Policy Act was passed with 74 votes(nearly 3/4 of the Senate), including yes votes from Ken Salazar, the current Secretary of the Interior as well as one from the then little known jr. senator from Illinois, including the top Democratic members on both the Energy & Commerce and Resources Committees
I don't know enough about the pharmaceutical industry to comment, other than to say that it, as well as insurance and computer related corporations, have far larger profit margins – percentage wise- than does the petroleum industry.
There you go – if there's been migration of frac fluids to water formations, then it's probably due to improper casing or cementing jobs or defective casing. Most casing is made in China, also….just sayin'.
Since 99% of frac fluid is water and sand, along w/ some harmless chemicals (AND some pretty toxic ones, I'll admit) I don't think there's much to be alarmed about. I saw some doofus posting the other day on Facebook, screaming that the oil companies are also pumping diesel, kerosene and "other dangerous hydrocarbons" down the hole. Wow, pumping hydrocarbons down a hole that hydrocarbons come out of. The horror!
The difference is that the fracking in question (and resulting abundance of energy) is taking place in the Northeast: bastion of high-minded liberalism. I live in southern upstate NY and the natural gas industry is desperately needed here. The people screaming about the evils of fracking mostly appear to be urban types. Yet us rural folk by and large say, "Frack baby, frack!"
GRIDS(AIDS)is a deadly disease that kills people all the time yet there's no law preventing anyone from passing it on to another.
Not only that, but if the filmmaker wants to be an investigative reporter he should recognize this as a question worth answering.
My nephew had a sweet job two summers ago. He had to drive the water truck for a fracking site on the Jonah Field in Wyoming. The water came out of the ground very hot, but EPA regulations mandated that the water go back into the ground at a cool temperature. So his job was to sit in a giant water truck as it filled up, wait at the site until the water cooled, and pump it back down.
He told me that he saw all sorts of wildlife while sitting there quietly. He saw coyotes, prairie chickens, hawks, jack rabbits, and all sorts of meadowlarks. Funny how those who complain about the wilderness are usually those who have spent no time there.
So following this film makers logic, if the chemicals were so dangerous wouldnt the workers handling them on a daily basis all be dead by now?
I love weasel words. "…fracking is killing countless unsuspecting poor people . . ." Another translation of the word 'countless' in this sentence is 'none'. There are no confirmable deaths or illnesses related to fracking.
I collect propaganda comics and broadsides. Whenever I see claims like this I delve into my files and learn from my environmentalist friends that all the oil, copper, and gas would be gone by 1985. There would be widespread famine in Europe by 1990. The oceans would be dead by 1995. Air pollution would be killing millions in America by 1980. Agricultural output would plummet during the eighties and nineties. Pesticides were killing millions every year.
Occasionally someone will post about the groundless beliefs of religious fanatics. Can we all agree that the biggest religious fanatics in America, and the most dangerous, are those who worship at the shrine of the Great Green God? Remember, the corn gods of the past always required human sacrifice. Some things never change.
An then he can make films attacking the industrial waste generated by the solar panel industry.
There's no free lunch.
Thanks for the distinction regarding the regulation, but it doesn't seem to be all that relevant since we are talking about fracking anyway.
You think Cheney's only power was through his position as VP and not through is conflict of interest ties to Halliburton? As a lobbyist for them he has more power than VP.
Well, I've noticed in my adulthood that all that "investigative reporting" on the MSM is neither investigative nor reporting. It's all very one-sided, with lots of questions left unanswered and even if they put on an opposing point of view, it's very brief and doesn't fully cover the topic anyway.
What happened to those "investigative reporters"? Did they ever exist, or only in the movies?
Well, that's why I wasn't a tree hugger for very long – common sense kind of intruded in. There is no such thing as a free lunch, nor perfection. Hybrid cars have toxic batteries. You can build all the windmills you want, but you have to take the energy gained from that and store it somewhere and then get it to consumers.
Even AFTER I abandoned both tree-hugging and the Left, I remember watching a news story about some windmills they were putting up in the California desert and environmentalists were protesting it. I thought to myself – what the hell do those guys want? But I already knew the answer to that.
Dangerous is right. In the case of DDT there is not one scientific study that can prove the claims against it yet it is banned. Causing truly countless deaths. Millions upon millions in developing countries have died and continue to suffer because of this bogus ban.
And our country is starting to see the resurgence of long-absent (thanks to DDT) mosquito borne illness as well. But, of course, it strikes the very young and the very old and those folks are just a burden as far as the left are concerned.
Feh to the environmentalist religion.
That is a terrific point. We can't let our emotional response overshadow the fact that somehow the money seems to be flowing towards the left for these projects. If conservative simply respond with emotion, then the left takes the lead. Fantastic, OriginalK.
Interesing post, as usual, Ms McElhinny. Your work is amazing,keep on doing what you are doing.
I really liked your speech about your aunt who moved to London and couldn't return to see family until low cost airlines started up. Ironically, you are defending the quality of life for the poor more than the leftists who fervently believe that they are. You and Hans Rosling, see the magic washing machine video: http://www.gapminder.org/videos/hans-rosling-and-...
Yours and his brains must be wired similarly because you see the reality of the free market where so many see oppression.
Hi, Please accept my corrections. Those 100 years worth of energy are more like 25 to 35, when by then we could all be with renewable energy if the millions of dollars poured on oil and gas were allotted to solar, wind and wave._Josh Fox as well as many others have investigated the health hazards of fracking, they were not available for him before the movie. Consider that people who sign for leases have to also sign a non disclosure agreement of their complaints. You can contact the American Academy of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center. Also go to http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org. The rural poor in America are getting money because they are being tricked into leasing their land
no, not selling, leasing, because the industry knows that once fracked, the property is worthless and banks do no consider giving morgages for these homes. By leasing, they are not responsible for any damage to property or persons
You are correct in saying renewable energy is "cheap and plentiful" but not attractive to the gas and oil industries.
Solar and wind energy is already providing 35 to 45% of the energy used in many European countries, but like Waiting for Superman, not in America.
To confirm these facts and answer more of your questions go to <a href="http://www.gaslandthemovie.com” target=”_blank”>www.gaslandthemovie.com or unitedforation.org .
I am sorry you learned nothing from this amazing documentary, also winner of the Sundance Award and the Lennon-Ono Peace Prize but I guess you are getting a lot from the industry.
If the movie impressed you, it was meant to do so, now go do your homework.
gasland was not and still is not a Hollywood production. It was entirely self-financed by Josh Fox. It was great that Sundance, Yoko Ono, and Environmental media Award saw the importance of the film. otherwise it would have been shown mainly to farmers and others affected by fracking. Our friend Ann asks for scientific evidence. Well, there is plenty of it. Just go to Gaslandthemovie.com and it's all there. I notice that Ann does not provide ANY evidence for her position SCIENTIFIC OR OTHERWISE. Ann attacks the banning of DDT and other toxins that have poisoned our environment and our people. WOW!!!! She makes huge statements about the effects of the banning of such substances on the deaths of millions of people. No evidence. Where is your evidence? The world scientific community shudders at your presumptions. The scientific world is showing the effects of fracking. By the way, Josh tried to get evidence from the gas companies. NONE OF THEM RESPONDED. What might that tell you. Stop twisting the truth Ann!
gasland was not and still is not a Hollywood production. It was entirely self-financed by Josh Fox. It was great that Sundance, Yoko Ono, and Environmental media Award saw the importance of the film. otherwise it would have been shown mainly to farmers and others affected by fracking. Our friend Ann asks for scientific evidence. Well, there is plenty of it. Just go to Gaslandthemovie.com and it's all there. I notice that Ann does not provide ANY evidence for her position SCIENTIFIC OR OTHERWISE. Ann attacks the banning of DDT and other toxins that have poisoned our environment and our people. WOW!!!! She makes huge statements about the effects of the banning of such substances on the deaths of millions of people. No evidence. Where is your evidence? The world scientific community shudders at your presumptions. The scientific world is showing the effects of fracking. By the way, Josh tried to get evidence from the gas companies. NONE OF THEM RESPONDED. What might that tell you. Stop twisting the truth Ann!
ah yes, I heard about that hospital admittance.. something about a gerbil…
Indeed, and going to Michael Moore's website about his own movies proves that he is factually correct about everything too.
YES. We should look at the hazzards to the workers. Have you contacted the gas companies about that? Did they answer you?
Also, how long after the exposure should you wait to see effects? M
It irks me that I am helping to enhance your reputation through answering you Ann. You are despicable. M
Not Hollywood backed. Get your facts straight before you make wild claims. Breathe deep and drink the tainted waters of Dimmock PA. That should clear things up. M
Actually, I know a bit about how films are financed, distributed and even accepted at certain festivals, so my facts are very straight. I've also had extensive engineering experience in the field of environmental cleanup (ranging from long term release to hazardous spills) so I never have trouble breathing deep and drinking water anywhere in this country, including Dimmock, PA.
Perhaps you are the one who needs to get the facts straight before making wild claims.
Since you know everything, there is no use talking to you.
LOL guess I missed my chance at getting "educated" then.
How much evidence do you need to understand that these companies care nothing about the long term future of the land they are poisoning? They are in a mad grab for the last of the hard to get resources and they want to do it cheaply. When our grandchildren ask what happened to the water and food security of our country we'll be sure to point them at you, the lonely old man in the corner of the old folks home talking to himself. We can have energy security and it doesn't have to be at the expense of the health of our land. Wake up to yourselves and save this country before the big companies poison all the rivers, chop the top of every mountain fill every lake with salt. Wake up.
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