Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation.
The fracking industry involves much more than drilling.
For the past three years, I’ve covered the controversial oil and gas drilling practice for Truthout. Over the past week, I visited Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio to learn more about the challenges faced by those who live where the fracking process begins and ends – in sand mines and waste dumps.
In Cooks Valley, Wisconsin, I interviewed two small farmers who once counted on each other for friendship and support. The mining boom caused by the fracking industry’s demand for silica sand – sand that has been linked to cancer among workers – has divided residents. Small farmers who have lived for years in the peace and quiet of the country now watch hundreds of trucks roll past their houses every day as the bluffs are blasted down to giant piles of sand. Some have banded together in town halls to regulate the mines, while others have cashed in selling and leasing their land. This breached the bond between these two neighboring farmers and they are are no longer on speaking terms.
On the Ohio River, I learned how the state has become a dumping ground for wastewater produced by the fracking industry, trucked in from Pennsylvania and other states, and contaminated with hazardous chemicals and radiation.
It’s crucial that those who live in the shadow of fracking have their voices heard – that’s why it’s important to support independent, grassroots journalism. By supporting Truthout, you can help me report from places like Wisconsin and Ohio, where everyday American have stories that must be told.
Will you make a tax-deductible donation today so that these stories can be told?
Click here to donate.
(Truthout is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 20-0031641)
You can also donate by check, made payable to:
Truthout, P.O. Box 276414, Sacramento, CA 95827
(Please include your email address on your check.
25 Years of Truthout: An important fundraising appeal
This September, Truthout is celebrating 25 years of publication. For over two decades, we have been a trusted source for fiercely independent journalism thanks to readers like you.
As we look to the next 25 years, we have launched a special fundraising campaign. Looking to a sustainable future for our publication, we have a fundraising goal of $63,000 in the next 4 days.
We are asking for your support at this juncture because we face greater threats than ever before in our organizational history. Trump and his MAGA allies are determined to control the information ecosystem, and movement-based organizations are subject to dangerous censorship and scrutiny.
If you can support Truthout with a one-time or monthly donation, you will make a significant impact on our work and our legacy. Anything you can do makes a difference!