Oil is green energy? Gas companies can frack on public lands? Stuffed in legislation about chickens?
There's something going on when a weird bill is signed into law in the middle of the night with little public advance notice. Follow the money to see what's up.
Who benefits from the legislation being passed? Fracking and oil companies. And the companies that make compressors used for fracking.
Who made the donations? Who drafted the bill was made into law? Who paid to get the bill drafted? How are they connected? Follow the money with this map.
What about the health hazards for the people who will be exposed to fracking operations? Water pollution? Air Pollution? Fuhgeddaboudit.
Ohio House sends stuffed ‘chicken bill' to governor defining natural gas as ‘green energy'
Oil and gas companies are one step closer to extracting natural gas from underneath Ohio state land. The Ohio House passed House Bill 507 59-33 pushing the bill to Gov. Mike DeWine. Dubbed "The Chicken Bill," the legislation was originally about poultry chicks... legislators tacked on amendments to expedite the process for companies to get fracking leases – and to redefine natural gas as "green energy." “This is a straight-up bait and switch,” said Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland).
Untraceable funds
Who benefits from this bill? The legislation allows for more fracking on public lands. More fracking means more demand for fracking equipment. Ariel Corporation makes compressors needed for fracking. Get it?
"Rastin is an executive vice president at Ariel Corp., a worldwide distributor of natural gas compressors. When he emailed lawmakers, Rastin used an email account under a domain name of The Empowerment Alliance (TEA), a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that can raise unlimited sums of money without disclosing its funders. Those untraceable funds (hence the term dark money) can be spent on politics, and records show TEA pumped more than $1 million into Ohio midterm races in 2022.
Since 2018, Rastin has also donated $1.2 million to statehouse Republican candidates. His wife – Karen Buchwald Wright, CEO of Ariel Corp. and daughter of its founder – contributed about $39,000 as well. The two have contributed millions backing President Donald Trump and other federal candidates. Little is publicly known about TEA. Its tax documents show its board is comprised of Brooke Bodney, a political fundraiser, and Eric Lycan, a Kentucky attorney who incorporates scores of such nonprofits." - Cleveland
Who drafted the language for the amendment behind the Chicken Bill?
ALEC critics refer to the pro-business organization as a “corporate bill mill” lending corporate lobbyists a “voice and a vote” on model legislation often becoming state law. - TruthOut
The American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) model bill for disclosure of chemicals injected into the ground during the controversial hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) process. ALEC’s model bill was proposed by ExxonMobil at its December 2011 meeting and is modeled after a bill that passed in Texas’ legislature in spring 2011, as revealed in a New York Times investigative piece.
Who suffers from fracking?
Mounting evidence raising serious red flags about the impact on drinking water, air pollution, and our climate. This includes water contamination, air pollution, earthquakes, environmental degradation. Get the fact at NRDC
Living Near Fracking Sites Linked to Adverse Birth Outcomes. Canadian study adds to mounting evidence that exposure to fracking sites is damaging to health. - MedPage
Pollutants from fracking could pose health risk to children. Analysis of US fracking sites suggests pollutants including airborne particulates and heavy metals could affect neurodevelopment of babies and children. - The Guardian
Resources
- DNR Frac Sand Mining Analysis (Wisconsin DNR)
- Silica Exposure in Frac Sand Mining (OSHA)
- Health Effects of Particulate Matter (ACE)
- Impacts of Transporting Frac Sand (CFIRE)
- Frac Sand Mining Risks (Midwest Environmental Advocates)
TakeAway: Tired of Republicans selling you out to corporations for political donations? Endangering your health and the environment? Register and vote for ethical political representation.
Deepak
DemLabs
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