ERIE COLORADO TO BECOME GROUND ZERO OF NATIONAL MOVEMENT AGAINST HYDRO-FRACKING

Concerned Parents and Allies to Oppose Natural Gas Extraction Near Local Schools

Washington, D.C.--As opposition to hydraulic fracturing (fracking) escalates nation-wide, Erie Rising, a group of concerned parents in Erie, Colorado will convene on June 2 to protest the oil and gas behemoth Encana’s plans to frack for natural gas near three local schools and a childcare center, and the state of Colorado’s inadequate protection of its residents from the dangers of fracking.

Americans from coast to coast, in rural, suburban and urban communities alike are increasingly affected by, and concerned about the effects of fracking on their health and vital resources. On June 2, the event in Erie will give voice to those immediately affected by fracking there, and to all Americans marred by the process, becoming ground zero for the national movement to expose the dangers associated with fracking.

Who: Erie Rising, Food & Water Watch, The Mothers Project, Water Defense, Sierra Club, Clean Water Action

What: Rally and vigil to protest Encana’s plans to frack for natural gas near Red Hawk Elementary, Erie Elementary, Erie Middle School and Exploring Minds Childcare Center and transport toxic fracking by-products on roads that come within feet of these and other community schools.

Where: Concerned citizens will gather for a rally at Erie Community Park located at 450 Powers Street in Erie, Colorado. They will then march to the entrance to the site of Encana’s fracking well at Telleen and Meller Streets, next to Red Hawk Elementary School.

Speakers: Angela Monti Fox, mother of Gasland director Josh Fox and founder of the Mother’s Project; Erie Rising; Sam Schabacker, Food & Water Watch; Shane Davis, Sierra Club; Phil Doe, Be the Change; Russel Mendell, Water Defense; Lisa Bracken, Project Forsaken.  

When: Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Audio/Visuals: Audio/Visuals: Participants at the rally will hold large, colorful signs denouncing harmful fracking, and will then march to Encana's well where they will hold hands. Representatives from Erie Rising will read aloud a letter they sent to Encana asking them not to frack near these institutions.

Why: An increasingly controversial form of energy extraction that often uses a cocktail of toxic chemicals, fracking has been linked to asthma, neurological problems and blackouts. Areas near fracking wells have also experienced water contamination and increased airborne pollution. A recent study by the University of Colorado’s School of Public Health found that people living within half a mile of fracked wells have a 66 percent greater chance of developing cancer.

Food & Water Watch works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainable. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping shared resources under public control.

Erie Rising is a parent-powered organization dedicated to protecting our children, our health, our environment and our community, as well as those beyond our reach. Founded by accomplished women, mothers and business owners, Erie Rising is quickly becoming an effective grassroots organization bringing awareness to the issues related to hydraulic fracturing and concerns for children’s health.