Occupy Pittsburgh and local anti-gas drilling activists are calling for an occupation of the Developing Unconventional Gas (DUG) East conference.
Pittsburgh, PA–(ENEWSPF)–November 14, 2011. On Tuesday, November 15th, Halliburton is hosting a reception for the rest of the oil and gas industry to kick off the DUG East conference. Occupy Pittsburgh is taking the opportunity to raise awareness about the dangers of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) techniques used in gas drilling and other harmful practices within the industry. At 5:15pm, demonstrators will march from the Occupy Pittsburgh encampment to the conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The occupation of the conference with a people’s reception for economic and environmental justice will begin at 6:00pm.
The gas industry is poisoning our water, polluting our air and destabilizing the Earth below us. At the same time, the industry is hijacking our democracy. In the last decade they’ve spent over $7 million in campaign contributions in Pennsylvania alone. These funds have won the favor of Politicians across the state including our pro-“fracking” Governor, Tom Corbett, who received nearly $1 million from the gas industry in 2010. Where the industry and their friends in office claim to bring economic opportunity, we see exploitation and disregard for the wellbeing of others.
Halliburton draws attention not only for pioneering the practice of “fracking” for natural gas; they also have a long history of poor practices and collusion with corrupt elected officials. For a glimpse of how they operate one needs only to review the facts on the “Halliburton Loophole.” In 2005, the Energy Bill passed under George W. Bush and former Halliburton CEO, Dick Cheney, exempted natural gas drilling from the Safe Drinking Water Act. Now, drilling companies can keep the public in the dark about which chemicals they use during hydraulic fracturing, even if it’s being pumped into your water supply. The provision commonly referred to as the “Halliburton Loophole,” makes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) powerless to regulate “fracking” regardless of numerous reports of ground water contamination.
Where/When:
5:15pm – Meet at Occupy Pittsburgh/Mellon Green and march on the DUG East conference.
6:00pm – People’s Reception and Occupation begins at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center
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#1 Mellon Green
Grant St. & Sixth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
General Information: 724-343-1433 • [email protected]
Source: www.OccupyPittsburgh.org
