NEED TO KNOW | Actor Mark Ruffalo speaks out against fracking | PBS

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/environment/actor-mark-ruffalo-spea
ks-out-against-fracking/3146/ Actor Mark Ruffalo is most famous for his work in films like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Kids Are All Right." But recently, he has turned his attention to a real-life issue. Ruffalo has become an outspoken opponent of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a controversial method of extracting natural gas that has divided citizens of upstate New York, where he lives. Need to Know's Abigail Leonard spoke to Ruffalo about his concerns in this web-exclusive interview. Need to Know airs Fridays on PBS. Watch full-length episodes of Need to Know at http://video.pbs.org/program/1458405365/

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Mark Ruffalo
• hydraulic fracturing
• Marcellus shale gas
• natural gas
• fracking
• upstate New York

[ShamanOwllady]

Hooray Mark Ruffalo!!!

[useacondompeople]

now they r using diesel fuel. diesel. using water wasn't good enuff. they r slowly but surely, gonna destroy this country's clean water. welcome to america's future folks.

[korbnep]

@STORMLORD70 Indeed there are lots of ways for wells to become polluted. However, many studies have shown that a lot of these contaminated waters wells near fracking sites were contaminated by the methane that originated from the deep shale. They were able to track the methane using using isotopic chemical analysis.

@ozz969 You're also right that the drilling goes too deep to directly affect water wells. However, groundwater is frequently polluted by the disposal of used fracking chemicals.

[STORMLORD70]

what the hell does a actor know he never worked hard all his life and you ameican's are going to let this guy destroy america.

[STORMLORD70]

@ozz96 Polluted water well yeah a shallow well drilled for water by a bad driller and they hit a shallow pocket of gas that is how there are geting gas in there well. Most of this bullshit on gasland don't give anyone the facts.

[STORMLORD70]

@DrMabuse05 how are you going to make jobs? You communist

[STORMLORD70]

@useacondompeople Using diesel fuel to frack a well yeah to run the drill the frack pumps and any other machine you better check out what a msd sheet is next time you get job. Well do you know what a msd sheet is no you work in a office or don't even have a job.

[ozz969]

There is much debate about this issue. Ruffalo claims his well gets polluted. "Fracking" wells are drilled at depths > 5000ft(1500m). Does his well go that deep? MIT published a study indicating that the drilling is not a concern, rather concern with the proper closing of the wells BY A FEW OPERATORS. Not a mass problem as the gasbag movie gasland makes it out to be.

[DrMabuse05]

"We watch impassively as the wealthy and the elite, the huge corporations, rob us, ruin the environment, defraud consumers and taxpayers and create an exclusive American oligarchy that fuses wealth and political power. We watch passively because we believe we can enter the club ... It is greed that keeps us silent." - Chris Hedges

[uhgfdsa123]

This guy is bad ass!

[ouluvme2]

Great job!  Separation of Business and State!

[NoPartyAffilliation]

Same thing happened to our well 50 years ago. Our well was sunk and contaminated. Now we don't have fresh water on our property.