I have covered the drought in California and other Western states as well as the energy industry trend of hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) to explore new reserves of petroleum products. These concepts converged today when I was conducting research for another story and came across the petitions from environmental groups, such as The Sierra Club, and letters to the editor in the LA Times from concerned citizens about the use of wastewater from fracking operations.

 

My previous research in this topic provided me with the knowledge that the oil companies are not required to disclose what chemicals are used in the fracking process. The test results of the water used is not released publicly, and the EPA has confirmed in the past to NBC News that the wastewater used from fracking has been injected into the groundwater supply wells in California.

 

The Sierra Club petition is aimed at the USDA with the goal of eliminating the use of fracking wastewater in the irrigation for crops used for food for human consumption. The second part of the survey involves an aspect of this issue that will make your mind explode: changing the guidelines which allow the food from some of those crops to be labeled “organic” in the future.

 

So, I imagine many of you out there are like me when you purchase organic foods, you feel like you are protecting your family by spending the extra money for an organic product. I found the news that foods made with petroleum and chemical laced water very unsettling to put it diplomatically.

 

In a report I found through an NBC News affiliate in California at one point over 3 billion gallons of tainted wastewater was pumped back into the groundwater aquifers. This news comes on top of an already angry public sentiment toward oil companies and the state government there because of the horrible drought conditions. It takes millions of gallons of water to conduct fracking operations to force out the potential oil resources below the ground. The state government has put water restrictions in place for residents but allows corporations to use water for fracking and also continues to allow huge companies like Nestle to bottle water (see my earlier article on that issue).

 

In that same report testing was done on the water in wells in the affected area and the samples came back with high levels of arsenic and thallium among other chemicals. This news comes at the same time that the Keystone pipeline proposal was rejected by the Obama Administration and because of the widespread prevalence of fracking, combined with other factors, oil prices are low amidst sagging demand and increased supply levels.

 

I stumbled upon an article a few weeks ago about the growth of the middle class in China which has resulted in increased demand there for American food products particularly fruits and nuts. The majority of the supply for these crops here in the US is from California farms. There is a backlash now, that during a prolonged period of drought, we are essentially exporting water to China in the form of the resources used to make products such as almonds and citrus fruits. It is an interesting concept to ponder.

 

The plight of the California farmer has already made news headlines with stories of water prices skyrocketing which are forcing farmers into very dangerous positions. In some cases what used to cost the farmer $25,000 in water now costs $250,000 for the same amount of this precious resource. The issue now is that some of those water sources have been contaminated with fracking wastewater, which obviously is a huge problem for everyone involved. The EPA has to work with the various levels of government to eliminate this practice.

 

In Too Deep

The standard practice with fracking now with regard to the disposal of wastewater used to find pockets of oil or natural gas is to release it deep into the ground, often as deep as they have drilled in their search for new energy resources. I would maintain based on this issue with irrigation water being tainted that the entire process of handling the wastewater disposal needs to be reviewed and changed. In the current system it becomes too easy to accidentally taint the groundwater supply intended for human and animal use.

 

I have been writing for years now that the entire process of labeling food especially organic products needs to be completely overhauled. This news is evidence of that need and for the USDA and the other federal agencies to move that process forward vigorously in the weeks and months ahead.

 

It also becomes clear through this situation that energy companies are in too deep, quite literally and figuratively when it comes to the process of fracking. The fact that they are not mandated by law to disclose what chemicals and at what level those chemicals are used needs to be revised.

 

I urge you all to learn more about this issue because I know I am not alone when I read that the organic tomatoes I have downstairs some with possible tainting from petroleum based chemicals and other toxins. We need to protect our crops, our land, and our water supply from these harmful chemicals, and we can do it if we act together in unity.