Picture by Ethan, Age 11. (Image via frackfreedenton.com)
Nov 02, 2014
The University of North Texas, best known for its top-notch jazz program and sometimes for its "Mean Green" football team, might soon become known as Frack U.
UNT (where I went to college back in the Paleocene Epoch) and the good people of the surrounding city of Denton are at the center of an epochal fight between Big Oil and common sense.
Denton, just 30 miles north of Dallas, stands on the frontlines of the growing conflict between frackers and the rest of us. Unbeknownst to nearly all Dentonites (until recently), they sit atop the Barnett shale field, a deposit of natural gas locked a mile and a half underground in ancient rock.
Suddenly, the city was invaded by Shell Oil and other profiteers drilling deep wells to "frack" that rock -- shattering it with high-pressure slurries of water, sand, and a witch's brew of toxic chemicals. Fracking rigs popped up next to schools, homes, and even on campus, generating waves of pollution, a constant roar, and the rumble of hundreds of heavy trucks through neighborhoods.
People got the mess, corporations got the profit, and foreign nations are getting the energy.
Naturally, rebellion ensued.
A gutsy and savvy group of hundreds of grassroots Dentonites -- led by the likes of a home care nurse, a UNT philosophy professor, and a jazz drummer -- has proposed banning future fracking in the city. They stunned the arrogant and aloof fracker club by getting their proposal on the November 4 ballot.
Of course, the industry powers are now rolling out their usual politicking arsenal of big money, lies, fake economic reports, and slander -- accusing the grassroots people of being "wacko" and even terrorists.
But nothing's crazier than letting corporate giants plunder our environment, threaten our health, and frack our democratic right to govern our local communities.
To follow and help the people's fight in Denton, go to www.FrackFreeDenton.com.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
Jim Hightower
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the books "Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow" (2008) and "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos: A Work of Political Subversion" (1998). Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
The University of North Texas, best known for its top-notch jazz program and sometimes for its "Mean Green" football team, might soon become known as Frack U.
UNT (where I went to college back in the Paleocene Epoch) and the good people of the surrounding city of Denton are at the center of an epochal fight between Big Oil and common sense.
Denton, just 30 miles north of Dallas, stands on the frontlines of the growing conflict between frackers and the rest of us. Unbeknownst to nearly all Dentonites (until recently), they sit atop the Barnett shale field, a deposit of natural gas locked a mile and a half underground in ancient rock.
Suddenly, the city was invaded by Shell Oil and other profiteers drilling deep wells to "frack" that rock -- shattering it with high-pressure slurries of water, sand, and a witch's brew of toxic chemicals. Fracking rigs popped up next to schools, homes, and even on campus, generating waves of pollution, a constant roar, and the rumble of hundreds of heavy trucks through neighborhoods.
People got the mess, corporations got the profit, and foreign nations are getting the energy.
Naturally, rebellion ensued.
A gutsy and savvy group of hundreds of grassroots Dentonites -- led by the likes of a home care nurse, a UNT philosophy professor, and a jazz drummer -- has proposed banning future fracking in the city. They stunned the arrogant and aloof fracker club by getting their proposal on the November 4 ballot.
Of course, the industry powers are now rolling out their usual politicking arsenal of big money, lies, fake economic reports, and slander -- accusing the grassroots people of being "wacko" and even terrorists.
But nothing's crazier than letting corporate giants plunder our environment, threaten our health, and frack our democratic right to govern our local communities.
To follow and help the people's fight in Denton, go to www.FrackFreeDenton.com.
Jim Hightower
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the books "Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow" (2008) and "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos: A Work of Political Subversion" (1998). Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
The University of North Texas, best known for its top-notch jazz program and sometimes for its "Mean Green" football team, might soon become known as Frack U.
UNT (where I went to college back in the Paleocene Epoch) and the good people of the surrounding city of Denton are at the center of an epochal fight between Big Oil and common sense.
Denton, just 30 miles north of Dallas, stands on the frontlines of the growing conflict between frackers and the rest of us. Unbeknownst to nearly all Dentonites (until recently), they sit atop the Barnett shale field, a deposit of natural gas locked a mile and a half underground in ancient rock.
Suddenly, the city was invaded by Shell Oil and other profiteers drilling deep wells to "frack" that rock -- shattering it with high-pressure slurries of water, sand, and a witch's brew of toxic chemicals. Fracking rigs popped up next to schools, homes, and even on campus, generating waves of pollution, a constant roar, and the rumble of hundreds of heavy trucks through neighborhoods.
People got the mess, corporations got the profit, and foreign nations are getting the energy.
Naturally, rebellion ensued.
A gutsy and savvy group of hundreds of grassroots Dentonites -- led by the likes of a home care nurse, a UNT philosophy professor, and a jazz drummer -- has proposed banning future fracking in the city. They stunned the arrogant and aloof fracker club by getting their proposal on the November 4 ballot.
Of course, the industry powers are now rolling out their usual politicking arsenal of big money, lies, fake economic reports, and slander -- accusing the grassroots people of being "wacko" and even terrorists.
But nothing's crazier than letting corporate giants plunder our environment, threaten our health, and frack our democratic right to govern our local communities.
To follow and help the people's fight in Denton, go to www.FrackFreeDenton.com.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.