Celebrities Mark Ruffalo, Ed Begley Jr., and Margot Kidder Endorse National Rally to Stop Unsafe Fracking

Celebrities Mark Ruffalo, Margot Kidder, and Ed Begley Jr. Endorse National Rally to Stop Unsafe Fracking

Celebrities Join Bill McKibben, Josh Fox, Cornel West, Vandana Shiva, and James Hansen to Call for National Day of Action in Washington, DC July 28^th

Today, celebrities and environmental leaders joined the call for the first-ever national mobilization on Fracking July 28^th in Washington, DC, “Stop the Frack Attack.” The event will have three demands for Congress: stop dangerous hydraulic fracturing, aka fracking, close 7 legal loopholes that exempt the oil and gas industry from parts of the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Air, and Clean Water Acts, and implement a pathway towards 100% clean renewable energy.

Mark Ruffalo, Pete Seeger, Lois Gibbs, Bill McKibben, Ed Begley Jr., Ed Asner, Josh Fox, Gus Speth, Cornel West, Vandana Shiva, Holly Near, James Hansen, Dar Williams, Michael Kieschnick, Joe Uehlein, and Margot Kidder join over 100 organizations and community groups in their call to action.

“Fracking is proof our addiction to fossil fuels has gone too far,” said Margot Kidder, “In the face of this kind of destruction, doing nothing is not an option. I’ll be in DC on July 28th because I’m worried about the world my grandchildren will inherit without immediate action. We have to stop the destruction, and we have to do it now.”

Fracking is a hot-button issue in swing states including PA, OH, CO, NM, NC, and MT. In New York, high-volume fracking in shale is on hold while the state reviews its impacts, and the fight against the practice includes calls for a total ban. However, Governor Cuomo is threatening to authorize the practice, possibly starting in selected parts of the state, despite the concerns of communities that would be impacted.

“Fracking is a big new part of the biggest thing humans have ever done: destroy our climate,” said Bill McKibben, co-founder and Board President of 350.org

Congress has exempted the oil and gas industry from 7 laws that usually serve to protect communities surrounding fossil fuel extraction sites. Those laws include the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the have left communities fighting fracking with little to no protection from contamination despite widespread evidence of dangers.

“When an entire industry is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act, you know common sense has been thrown out the window,” concludes Jennifer Krill from Earthworks. “This situation is out of control, and we are coming to Washington to demand Congress close these loopholes, stop unsafe fracking, and put us on a path to 100% clean renewable energy.”

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Stop the Frack Attack will be a national mobilization on the West Lawn of the Capitol on July 28^th, 2012. The mobilization has been endorsed by over 100 community based and national organizations and has an advisory board of fracking-impacted community representatives

About Sharon Wilson

Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.