John Lennon’s widow and environmental activist Yoko Ono appealed to New York Governor Cuomo to stop shale gas drilling using high-volume hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracking. She addressed to the governor in her video, Rolling Stone says.
Hydrofracking is one of the methods of natural gas and oil extraction. During the process so-called “slick water” is pumped into the shale to fracture the rock and release the gas. They say the first hydrofracking was performed by Halliburton Inc. in 1947 in the USA. Some people believe that hydrofracking causes gas wells to leak harmful benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene into water suppliers. Besides, ecologists think that such method of gas extraction can trigger earthquakes as well.
In her video Yoko, complaining that the governor did not meet her in person, shows what can happens to the water full of harmful contaminants when it is delivered to the citizens. It tinges a kind of brownish oil colour and the water from the tap catches fire easily.
“After I have visited state of Pennsylvania, where the citizens were poisoned by gas extraction industry, I decided to show governor Cuomo what can happen in New York if he allows hydrofracking.’ - Yoko explained.
In July 2012, Yoko Ono together with her son Sean Lennon launched an anti-fracking artists coalition in order to influence Cuomo’s decision. Back then the governor had to decide whether to allow shale gas drilling using high-volume hydraulicс fracturing on Marcellus shale shelf or not. For more than 6 months he could not find some time to meet the ecologists. The decision on hydrofracturing in New York has not been taken yet. This technology helped the USA to carry out “shale revolution”: the volumes of extraction grew significantly while prices for gas, on the contrary, went down just in some years.
