The news of the L.A. City Council’s unanimous vote that advances phasing out oil and gas extraction across the city was a joy for frontline communities affected by environmental racism! With God’s help, people-power for righteous causes will always bring about win-win victories for some of the most marginalized and disenfranchised communities.
The September 20 article by Jennifer Bihm contains a significant inaccuracy in the headline and misleading statements in the article itself. The headline states that poor communities in Los Angeles “experience most fracking.” The fact is that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is not used at all anywhere in Los Angeles County. The term refers to a specific method of oil extraction which is not employed by any oil producers in the Los Angeles region. While oil production remains an important part of LA’s economy, the energy that is produced here is done under the strictest health, environmental and safety regulations in the world.
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Peace Park is a rich ecosystem where one finds the gemsbok desert antelope, black-maned Kalahari lions and pygmy falcons. It’s known far and wide for its breathtaking wilderness, wildlife and rest camps. Welcome to the new home of gas exploration and fracking. Last year, natural gas frackers from the UK – Karoo Energy formerly known as Nodding Donkey – bought exploration licenses for more than 87,000 square miles of the Botswana park with the intention of fracking for shale gas. South Africa’s Karoo semi-desert natural region will soon be added to its portfolio, according to a recent